


I Think You Mean Jones-Parker

by free_bee



Series: In the Middle Before I Knew I Had Begun [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Future Spideychelle, Irondad, Michelle Jones is a Little Shit, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Not Canon Compliant, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Spider-Man:Homecoming - Freeform, Spideychelle, Stories begin during Homecoming, Stories will continue into adulthood, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2020-04-12 13:52:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 63,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19133350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/free_bee/pseuds/free_bee
Summary: One-shot collection of MJ and Peter, beginning during Spider-Man: Homecoming and moving into the two dating. Fluff ensues, and eventually everyone becomes one big happy family.*Sequel is out now! Direct continuation of this story in "She Added With Feeling, 'Idiot'"





	1. Tony meets MJ

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying to keep these stories in order to avoid confusion when the one-shots become very non-canon. I will be taking some artistic license with a few things, or pick up some things I enjoyed that other authors have added to these characters. 
> 
> Hope everyone enjoys, though I'm not keeping a schedule, and won't stop the way I'm writing these one shots once the FFH movie comes out.
> 
> :)

 

Peter Parker was desperate for a nap. It was currently half past five on the last Friday before Midtown High’s spring break, and Peter is stuck in the hell that is MJ’s mandatory decathlon practice. Ned was even half asleep next to him, as he kept listing to the side and only woke up when either Peter elbowed him or his cheek hit the table. A quick glance behind their table gave Peter the impression that most of the rest of the team was also fading, and fading fast. Flash wasn’t even trying anymore, with his feet propped up on his desk, chair tipped back, and his head resting on the wall behind him. Everyone else was either propping their head up on a fist or were forcing their eyes to stay open.

“What is meant by the phrase "turn genes on" or "turn genes off”?” MJ asks from one of the cards still in her hands, the pile phenomenally smaller than when they started, but still hefty enough to knock someone out if thrown at their head. Peter’s pretty sure she keeps the pile that big in case someone pisses her off.

Flash perks up very suddenly, disrupting the already leaning tower of homework next to him. MJ shot him a ‘did-you-just-dribble-on-your-shirt’ look before shutting whatever comment he was about to make down, “No, Eugene, just no.” Flash pouts, slumping back into his seat. Mr. Harrington, who Peter notices has been on his phone for the past hour gives a lazy thumbs up, as he has after every answer is given; as if Eugene gave an answer worth congratulations. MJ gave their teacher a watered down version of her ‘look’ but pressed on.

 

“Anyone?” No one. Not even Peter. That has MJ looking up, finally taking note of the pure exhaustion on everyone's face. Sighing heavily, she drops her cards onto the table, “Fine, I guess you guys did all right. But I want everyone here first Monday back, and we’re doing it all again.”

 

Mr. Harrington perked up, “Are we done then Michelle?” their teacher was already grabbing his bags, his phone still clutched in his hand. MJ rolled her eyes, but agrees with a sharp nod, and tries not to look offended when the entire team sighs in relief (or cheers in Flash’s case).  However, since MJ had become the third part of the trio that was Peter and Ned and MJ, Peter had gotten pretty good at recognizing the slight differences between MJ’s ‘I don't care’ facial expressions. Taking a second to elbow Ned, Peter hops up to join MJ in collecting all the question cards back into a uniformly neat pile.

 

“Thanks, loser, but you can go. No need to act like you haven’t been watching the clock.” MJ murmurs, stuffing the card pile into her rucksack. Peter notes she’s added a few new Sharpie doodles to the side that look sort of arachnid shaped. “Didn’t you say you were supposed to intern today?”

This has Peter looking back up from her bag, “Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, I’ll have to see if Mr. Stark still wants me over.”

MJ actually looks a little sad, or maybe...Peter squints at her a bit, trying not to make it look obvious. _Maybe that’s guilt?_ “Sorry dude, I didn’t mean to take up your work time.”

 

“Huh?” Peter once again so eloquently says, and MJ cocks a brow, “I mean, no, I get it, the team needed work, and Mr. Stark understands—”

 

“This again? Seriously Penis, drop the act! No one believes you _actually_ work for Tony Stark!” Flash shouts across the still emptying classroom, causing the rest of the team to pause from standing and the few who made it to the hall to tiptoe back and listen in. Luckily Mr. Harrington was long gone. Peter didn't really want to say anything, this entire thing with Flash was getting old. MJ, however, had no such qualms.

 

"Eugene, your obsession with Peter's private conversations are getting concerning. If you can't keep it in your pants, I'll have to take this up with Morita and file a harassment claim." MJ droles crossing her arms casually as she leans against the teacher's desk at the front. A few team members chuckle and walk off, aware that Flash never has a come back for Michelle. This time, however, was different.

 

"Shut your mouth Jones, you're just covering for him cause you have a crush on the dweeb," Flash announces almost proudly, basking in the stares from their teammates. Peter can practically feel Ned's eyes on the back of his head, but Peter is pretty much frozen to the spot, staring at Flash in something akin to horror.

 

"What."

 

Peter flinches away from his friend, the malice behind her voice giving him a tingle down his spine. Flash looked slightly frightened but uncharacteristically stands his ground in front of the scary girl. "Yeah, you heard me. Everyone knows you two are secretly dating, that's the only reason Penis is still on the team even though he missed almost every meeting this year."

 

"Yeah, well he's rededicated himself to help the team, Eugene, and unlike some members, Peter actually studies. And in case you don't know, which I know you do, I am not the one who gets to choose who's on the team, Harrington is. If it was up to me, you would be kicked off the team with my shoe shoved so far up your—"

 

Michelle's rant was cut off by the shrill ringtone of Peter's phone. MJ stops, Flash still looks scared, the rest of the team all look at his pocket, and Peter winces. "Um, can I—"

 

MJ waves her hand, "By all means, loser. It's not like I'm trying to stick up for you here."

Peter looks over his shoulder at Ned, but all his friend is good for is a shrug as if to say 'I also know nothing about girls'. Peter looks back to Michelle, who is now close to glaring a hole into his forehead. Peter bites his lip and checks his phone as quickly as possible, without using any extra Spider-Man speed. _If it isn't May, just leave it alone._ Luckily it _wasn't_ May, but unluckily it was even worse. Mr. Stark's face lit up the screen, the phone prompting Peter to swipe open the facetime call.

 

Peter looks back up at MJ, who has not shifted one iota, but whose face has gone more cloudy. "I'll uh, just call them back later," Peter says, receiving a nod from MJ, and an inner freakout from himself. Peter dismisses the call, trying very hard not to cringe when the phone immediately rings once again, Mr. Stark's face lighting up the screen once more.

 

"Oh for— give it!" MJ reached over faster than even Peter could comprehend (though the state of slight fear he was currently in could have had something to do with that) and snatched his phone from his hands. Peter watches her glance at the name on the screen and swipes to accept the call without flinching. She holds the phone in front of her, the practiced MJ scowl ready in full force.

 

Tony Stark’s voice comes out loud and clear, "Hey kid, you done with your nerd club yet?"

 

MJ doesn’t hesitate, "Hello Mr. Stark, Peter is still being spoken to by his captain who doesn't appreciate trying to hold a conversation with him while also schooling an immature bully, all while his phone won't stop ringing from his boss. I believe your appointment time with my friend does not actually start until six this evening. In which case, I firmly wish to remind you Peter is still mine for another twenty-three minutes. Questions, comments, concerns?" MJ finishes with a customer-service grin which comes out more shark-like than polite. There is silence in the room, including from Peter's phone.

 

"Oh my God, MJ," Ned croaks, which kickstarts Peter jumping forward to grab his phone back. MJ keeps it out of reach however, obviously still waiting and wanting a response from Tony Stark.

 

There is a threat clearing and then, "I accept your terms, however, could I speak to my intern for one moment? Miss—?"

 

MJ nods decidedly, "Jones. And yes, you may." With that, MJ passes the phone back to Peter, once again looking bored and smug. Peter picks the phone out if her hands, still a little gobsmacked by what had just happened. The rest of the room was just as quiet, so he was pretty sure everyone else was feeling the same as well. Peter turned the phone to face him, giving himself the view of one Tony Stark, sitting in the back of a car, rose-colored glasses perched on his face, looking bemused, shocked and more than a little amused.

 

"Mr. Parker, at the insistence of your friend, it would seem I need to stop bothering you for another," here Mr. Stark paused to check his watch, "nineteen minutes."

 

"I'm so sorry Mr. Stark, I'll talk to MJ about this, I promise."

 

"Nah kid, I like her, why haven't I met her yet? She's way more fun than Ted."

 

Ned squawks a strangled 'Hey!', but Peter and Tony ignore him. "I'm sorry, I'll be out in a few minutes."

 

"Eighteen minutes, loser," MJ says, not so quietly. Tony looks even more amused by the situation while Peter can feel his ears turning redder.

 

"Right, eighteen minutes," Peter mumbles, ignoring the way MJ smirks at the same time Tony does.

 

"Did I mention I like her? Why haven't you told me about her, Petey? She's like an angrier, smaller Pepper. She's cute too, you think she's cute?" Tony was rambling, but Peter knew he was doing so to embarrass him and try to piss off Michelle. "Hey mini Pepper, you are welcome to the Tower whenever Pete has Ted over!"

 

This has Peter scrambling, "Mr. Stark, I'll talk to you soon, ok?"

 

Tony is still yelling, talking to MJ like Peter isn't even there, though the man has yet to move his smirking eyes away from his protege, "Maybe Pep will take you on as her intern! Holy shit, I am a genius! Pete, kid, we could each have a Pepper! Best idea I've ever had!"

 

"Goodbye, Mr. Stark!" Peter practically shouts, punching the end call button quickly to end his misery. The room is dead silent now, Peter realizing once more that this had been a less than private embarrassing conversation. Looking up, Peter grew red seeing the gawking faces of his teammates. MJ was standing in front of him, arms crossed and toe-tapping, a pleased smirk on her face.

 

"I will allow you to give my number to Pepper Potts if you tell Stark I refuse to be the one to drag your ass out of bed like a child like she's done for him the past ten years." And with that, MJ grabbed her things calmly and walked out of the room, calling over her shoulder, "pretty sure I dismissed you losers, it’s Spring Break, isn't it?"

 

A few students did move, but most were snickering at a sputtering Flash, which still had yet to say much else but a quiet and resounding, "what the fuck?"


	2. Peter maybe-perhaps-could have a crush on MJ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was wondering if anyone wants to tell me if they would prefer these one-shots to be in order date wise? Because I'm not writing these in order, I just pick one of the ideas I have and write whichever I feel like. I'd like to post out of order, but what are some of your opinions on this?
> 
> Also, if anyone had ideas for MJ/Peter one shots, feel free to share them with me. This won't turn into a 'chapter for every response'. I'd only pick ones that actually speak to me, or I get ideas from, but I'd still be open to receiving ideas. I've got twenty or so written down, but those will run out eventually :) even a few words is fine!
> 
> Anyway, hope everyone likes this one as much as you seemed to like the last one!

He’s not sure when it happened, but Peter couldn’t stop noticing the way MJ’s hair moved when she walked. It was so soft looking, and the tight messy curls would bounce on their own or hit her shoulder and swing to the side. Most days all those curls were bundled into a ponytail, but that just gave the front curls that bounced off her face their time to shine. Those days Peter found it hard not to get caught by MJ when he watched the single curl rest on her cheek, occasionally being blown out of her face, her lips puckering to the side. There was so much to look at all at once that Peter found himself at decathlon practice that day, propping his chin up on a hand, just blatantly staring at his friend. 

 

“Dude, the staring is getting creepy,” Ned whispers into his ear, making Peter’s chin slip off his hand and stop dangerously close to smacking into the table top. 

“I’m not staring,” Peter whispers harshly, already feeling his cheeks becoming very red. 

 

“Then what do you call the thing you’ve been doing all day. I’ve counted, and you’ve officially not blinked for two minutes.” Ned slides his phone down the table to Peter who catches it and notices the timer had been stopped to say two minutes and thirteen seconds. 

 

Peter scowls at his friend, “Shut up. Maybe I was just paying attention.”

 

Ned rolls his eyes, locking his phone again to put into his pocket, “What, every time MJ walks past our table? Do you even know what she’s been saying for the past thirty minutes?”

 

Blinking, Peter looks around the room, “Um, what to study for acadec?”

 

“...Fine. Lucky guess.”

 

“Have anything to add, Parker? Leeds?” Both boys heads snap to attention, seeing Michelle Jones staring them both down, bored expression still on her face, but Peter notices her left eyebrow is lifted slightly more than the other. Whoops, proper annoyed then. 

 

“Nope. Nothing, sorry MJ,” Peter says, cutting off Ned from saying whatever his friend was about to say. MJ watches them for a moment before turning back to face everyone, ignoring them for the time being. Peter deflates suddenly, pulling his fingers through his hair agitatedly. 

 

“Dude, you’ve got it so bad.”

* * *

Luckily for Peter, today also landed on Lab Day at Stark Tower, so the rest of his evening was going to be much more productive. That is, it should have been, but Peter found himself just as distracted  _ thinking  _ about MJ as he was staring at her. The replay of the way she flipped her hair over her shoulder before schooling Flash, or the way her shirt ended just above the pockets on her jeans.  _ Or,  _ the way she had taken off her jacket just before acadec practice, and Peter had most definitely noticed a scrap of black lace that had to have been a bra strap and  _ holy cow he was feeling light headed…. _

 

“Pete? Kid, you still with me?” Tony’s voice broke through the train of thought that was about to derail in MJ-ville, shaking Peter back into reality. 

 

“Yup, sure am, of course, I’m here Mr. Stark. Where else would I be?” Peter stuttered, trying to go back to the homework he had been hunched over since coming. 

 

“Peter?” the full name was what really caught Peter’s attention, especially since he had very quickly gone back to imagining MJ in a sleeveless top. 

 

“Yes, Mr. Stark?”

 

Tony was giving Peter a concerned look, just like the one he’d had on when Peter had come back to the Tower after a run in with some baddies. That look had been followed by exasperation and a little bit of anger at Peter’s inability at taking care of himself, but Peter had a feeling this time was not going to be like that time. 

 

“Something you wanna tell me, kid? You seem pretty out of it this evening.”

 

Peter was a bit conflicted; on one hand, Mr. Stark could help him with his girl troubles. He knew, as much as May wished he didn’t, that Mr. Stark had  _ very _ good luck with girls. Or did. But, he was also dating Pepper Potts, or well, engaged, but still, that had to mean he still knew how to get a girl to like him. On the other hand…this was Tony Stark, mentor, Iron Man, and honest to God father figure to Peter Parker. The two were close, but Tony was never shy when it came to teasing Peter into submission. 

 

“Um, maybe, but I’m good Mr. Stark, honest. It’s really no big deal.”

 

“Uh uh, no. That sounds like it is a big deal, and if you don’t tell me, I’m going to assume its something I need to ask May about.”

 

“No!” Peter bursts out, startling Tony a little bit, but the man merely raises his brows at the young boy. “I mean, no, cause May doesn't need to know about this, ok?”

 

Tony sighs, leaning back in his chair, but keeping close to Peter, “Not really ok, Spider-baby, since I still don't know what exactly I’m not supposed to be telling May.”

 

Peter sighs heavily, resigned to pushing all images of MJ out of his mind until further discussion with Tony is over. Seeing the boy giving in just a little bit, Tony perks up by facing Peter once more on his swivel chair.

 

“Ok, what I’m about to tell you is top secret. No aunts are allowed to hear the words I’m about to utter.” Peter says gravely, shoving his homework aside, missing the actually worried look Tony now ha on his face.

 

“I’m listening kid, I promise I won’t tell unless its something that is actually going to affect your health.”

 

_ ‘If only you knew’ _ , Peter thought, “So, I’ve been a bit distracted lately at school,” Tony gives him  a ‘go on’ hand motion’, “and it’s kinda because of someone...at school…”

Tony still doesn’t say anything, so Peter continues, trying to imagine Mr. Stark isn’t even there. “I might have— no, I maybe perhaps could have a small little, um,  _ crush _ ?” Peter peeks up, seeing the blank face on Tony’s face.

 

“A crush,” Tony says, but Peter can only nod. “You had me freaked out for an apocalypse you were sensing, Peter. You just have a crush?”

 

“I mean,  _ yeah _ ,” Peter admits, feeling a little silly now, but he’s talking and now good ol’ motor mouth Parker isn’t going to stop so soon. “But I was so distracted all day, cause I was so busy staring at her that I almost missed an entire class of notes. Ned has been really nice today and lets me copy his, but still, now I can’t stop thinking of her!” 

 

There’s silence, in which Peter can only fiddle with the string of his sweater, as Tony digests this information. Finally, the older man lets out a barking laugh.

 

“Jeez, kid, this is not a problem you need to be stressing me out with. Oh fucking hell, I thought you were going to say you had radioactive cancer or something, and you’ve just been sitting here imagining a girl’s—”

 

“Mr. Stark!”


	3. Peter (Spider-Man) runs into MJ in the park

Peter was pretty sure all bad guys knew that Tuesday was the universal bad guy day off in Queens. He had been out Spidermanning for the worst part of four hours and so far had only been able to stop one bike thief that turned out to have forgotten his bike was one block over, a woman who turned away from her dog and missed him almost being hit by a car, and a cat that had a tuna can stuck on its face. All in all, not exactly his finest work. So Spider-Man now found himself sitting on a park bench, one leg crossed over the other, one arm slung over the back of the bench while the other was busy holding an ice cream cone. Usually, he would be a little more private and flip his mask up to his nose to eat, but he was really  _ that bored _ . 

 

This park was more interesting than the rest of Queens though, at least there were people to watch here. A couple of families had their kids playing on the playset a few feet away, the sounds of shrieking children creating a nice background noise as Peter drifted off. Was it smart to fall asleep on a park bench.? No. Don’t try this at home kids.

 

“Dude, if you’re gonna fall asleep on a bench, could you keep still? I’ve had to redo your leg three times already,”  

 

Peter shot up from his reclining position, muscles tensed for a fight and so shocked he barely recognized the fact that his spidey-sense hadn’t gone off. Looking around frantically, Peter finally spotted the person who had spoken and was perhaps even more shocked. MJ was sitting back on the bench across the walking path from his, knees pulled up to her chin with a large sketchpad resting against them. Her hands were very dirty, so Peter surmised she must have been using charcoal or something, He was still too shocked to say anything which allowed MJ to finish the last few strokes before looking up. 

 

“You ruined my still life,”

 

The Spider-Man masks blinked at her comically, “Are real people called still life?”

 

“Would you rather I did a nude of you? Cause I’m pretty sure that suggestion could be mistaken as assault.” MJ says, going back to her sketch pad. Peter sits there gobsmacked. 

 

“Isn’t there like a consent contract to sign for live models? I feel kinda used,” Spider-Man quips, which actually halts MJ in her drawing her eyebrows pulling together briefly before she hurriedly closes her pad and begins putting away her drawing supplies. 

 

“Yeah, sorry, I guess that’s weird since you don’t know me,” she looks up so briefly Peter can’t actually be sure she made eye contact, “I can stop.”

 

MJ began to get up from her bench across from Peter’s, and the only thing Peter could think was:  _ Pretty girl who is friend is leaving! Abort mission! Stop pretty girl from leaving!  _ “Wait, MJ!” 

And boy did she wait. MJ froze in place, bag hanging off her shoulder and sketchpad tucked under her arm. She spun on the spot very slowly, like she was a doll on the top of one of those old fashioned music boxes. Peter was sat frozen, hand stretched out dumbly like they were frozen in some stupid cheesy action film. MJ sat back down slowly, not taking any of her stuff back out, but also not leaving, so… so far so good, Parker. 

 

“Ok, I’ll stay. On one condition Spider-Man.”

 

_ Hmm, too good to be true… continue with this thread of conversation… _ “All right,”

 

MJ leans forward, leaning back immediately to avoid a pair of roller skaters passing between them. Then she leans in again, “How’d you know my name?”

 

_ ABORT!  _ “Um, you s-said it, earlier,” Peter Parker was buffering, Spider-Man’s time to shine… “I mean, like, the last time I saw you. In Washington,”

“Mmm, no, I didn’t,”

 

“Are you sure? I’m pretty sure I remember someone saying—”

 

“Everyone I knew was in that elevator.”

 

“I must have heard it in the city then,”

 

MJ cocks her head, “From who? Or are you stalking me?”

 

“No! From, er, P-Peter,”  _ God fucking damn it, you moron. Peter Parker is taking over again.  _

 

MJ is confused now, which is good since Peter really can’t seem to control his mouth around her. “You know Peter? 

 

“Yeah, yup. Hasn’t he mentioned me?”

 

MJ is still bemused, pointing kind of dumbly at herself, “My Peter?”

 

Now Peter is bemused while his throat feels like it closes up and his stomach drops to his feet. Thor, what he’d give to be having this conversation literally anywhere else right now, “Y-your Peter? I didn’t realize you and he were—”

 

“No, we’re not I meant— I mean, my  _ friend _ , Peter.” MJ was flustered now, which made Peter feel slightly better but now there were just two flustered and confused teens sitting on facing park benches, one dressed as a superhero, and just kind of gaping at one another. 

 

“I feel like this got awkward.” Peter finally says, trying to get back into his Spider-Man persona and leave behind the Peter-ey things that MJ might pick up on. 

 

MJ nods, but her face still shows some suspicion. “Maybe. I’ll let you off this time, loser. But next time you’re sleeping in my spot, I’m going to sit on you.” MJ stands and Peter lets her, still doing a mental pat on the back. MJ rips something out of the sketchpad she had been working on, smacking it into his chest as she passes with one more ‘later loser’ thrown over her shoulder. Peter watches her leave before he looks down at the paper, and tries very hard not to choke.

 

It’s the picture of Peter (as Spider-Man) laying on the bench. However, instead of the Spider-Man suit, it’s the clothing Peter had been wearing to school during the day, with the mask still on. There were a few words scrawled along the bottom that Peter read and then had to re-read.

 

‘ _ Tell Peter to text me later, loser. Thx, MJ’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, I'm sorry for the short lame chapter. I just wasn't a fan of the prompt (from myself) but I wanted it to happen to make another thing happen later...so, I pushed through. Hope you still like!


	4. MJ joins Peter and Ned for movie night

Thursday nights had morphed into NedandPeter night. Between homework, acadec meetings after school, general prior family engagements, and Spider-manning, the two best friends had made sure there was still time to  _ be  _ best friends. This Thursday was a planned movie night, one that the boys had been excitedly talking about for a  _ month _ (between Peter doing Spider-Man, being at Stark Tower all the time and finals at school (ugh) this was a very sought after night) at school. It had gotten so bad, that their excitement had finally caused their newest table mate to huck a seventy-two chapter book at their heads. Peter was the only one able to dodge it. RIP Ned. That incident did lead to the boys having to explain their excitement to MJ, who admitted it sounded like it would be fun. This, of course, led to a wide-eyed Peter stuttering out an invitation to the girl with a bemused Ned rubbing at the goose egg raising on his forehead. 

 

So now, Peter Parker found himself in the weird scenario where he was sandwiched between his best friend who was munching on all the popcorn and his crush who was reading from a book like usual while trying not to be obvious about actually watching the movie. Peter himself was too distracted by the way MJ smelled to be watching the movie. He’d have to come up with a really good excuse for Ned when he wouldn’t be able to talk about it later tonight. Maybe he could just say he was too tired from Spider-manning and had fallen asleep? No, cause MJ was here, and would point out he hadn’t been sleeping…

 

The small shifting from the girl next to him caused Peter’s thoughts to freeze. MJ shifted her legs, her book closing enough that Peter now noticed she really wasn’t reading it. He didn’t dare point it out though, and kept as still as possible, waiting for her to settle so he could relax again (he was desperately trying not to connect this behavior to the way a spider sits on a web and waits for its prey). He looked over at Ned who was so engrossed in the movie, the apartment could have been exploding behind him and he would barely blink. 

 

MJ was now trying to extend her legs without bumping Peter, which only caused the boy to think about how long her legs were, and how much he like watching them when she wore those paint covered legging she had on last week. He completely blames those thoughts for the next thing he did. Without waiting for MJ to settle, Peter reached out and scooped her legs up the next time she moved to stretch them out in front of him and dropped them into his lap. After realizing what he had just done, Peter froze with one arm underneath her legs, and the other awkwardly hovering over his other leg. MJ wasn’t saying anything, but she also  _ wasn’t moving them off of him _ . Ned hadn’t noticed a thing, but Peter’s brain was currently in overdrive. 

 

His inability to move seemed to work in his favour though since his silence made MJ actually relax. She dropped her book onto the floor, not even pretending to bookmark it. She took a second to spin her body so her back was now against the armrest. Unfortunately (FORTUNATELY) this caused her bum to slide down the cushion and  _ press against the outside of his leg _ . 

 

‘ _ Don’t you fucking move, Parker.’  _ His brain supplied, and Peter settled himself in for a long two hours. 

 

MJ, however, was not privy to his inner monologue and moved her legs off him herself an hour later. Peter tried not to groan, but still gave her a half smile when she leaned over him. MJ gave him her usual smirk as she got up and went to the washroom down the hall. Once she was gone, Peter let out a  _ whoosh _ of air. 

 

This, Ned noticed. He looks over at his friend, and notices Peter’s red ears, “Dude, are you ok?”

 

Peter lets out a strangled, “Yup,” but Ned doesn’t look convinced. 

 

“You’ve been weird all night, man. Is it MJ? If you didn't want her here, why’d you invite her?” Ned asks, hitting the nail on the fucking head. 

 

“No! I do want her here! I  _ really _ wanted her here,” Peter says, trying to stress the meaning of his words without having to outright tell his best friend that he had a massive crush on their other friend. Ned looked at his friend blankly however, not understanding what Peter was trying to get at. 

 

Before Peter could say anything, MJ was returning from the bathroom and crossing in front of them again. She mumbled a quick apology for blocking the tv before falling into the spot she had vacated before. Peter held his breath making Ned look at him weirdly again, and watch the two of them instead of the movie. Peter didn’t have to worry about how he was going to try and sneak MJ into touching him more than necessary again, but MJ was far ahead of him. Without asking or beating around the bush, she swung her legs up into his lap once more, pressing her toes into the thigh she hadn’t been touching before. 

 

Peter could see Ned looking at him, wide-eyed, but Peter refused to look at him aside from the corner of his eye. He was too busy trying not to whimper when he felt MJ shifting down to press her bum against his side again. Finally, she tossed her hair over her shoulder, sighed, and relaxed fully into the couch. The boys stayed silent throughout, but neither were watching the movie any longer. Eventually, Ned reached over and poked Peter in the side,  _ hard. _

 

Peter couldn’t avoid it anymore, “ _ What?!”  _ he mouthed at Ned, who looked so shocked his eyes were complete circles. It reminded Peter of when he found out he was Spider-Man. 

 

“ _ You  _ like  _ MJ! _ ” Ned mouths back, looking close to hitting Peter on the arm. 

 

“ _ Shut up!”  _

 

“ _ You’re not denying it?!” _

 

_ “Ned, she’s right. There!” _

 

_ “Admit it!”  _

 

Peter snapped his mouth shut when he felt MJ’s hand tap at his elbow. He looked over at her quickly and saw she was trying to get him to pass her her drink. He leaned forward immediately to give it to her and tried desperately to stamp down the blush he felt when she smiled at him in thanks. Ned jabbed him in the side almost immediately.

 

“ _ You do!” _

 

_ “Yes, but if you say anything, remember I know the Avengers!”   _ That did quiet Ned for a moment before he was again whisper-mouthing.

 

“ _ Dude, she’s practically  _ sitting  _  on you!” _

 

_ “Do you think I don’t know that?!”  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad everyone is so happy and positive about these stories. 
> 
> I've decided to be as linear as possible when posting these. However, I won't have a regular update schedule, because I'm not writing these in order, and sometimes catch up to myself and don't have the next linear chapter ready. So steady on, sometimes updates won't be right away.
> 
> Also, I noticed sometimes my grammar flip flops between Canadian and US spelling. I AM Canadian and automatically spell using the Canadian way (which is really just some extra 'u's in some words) but sometimes my doc will change it to the US version. Anyway, just trying to say I'm sorry if it's one way and then another. 
> 
> Anyway, comments are appreciated and they make me smile when I wake up to them :P I've added a few ideas from some people, so feel free to add any prompts you'd like.
> 
> -Bee


	5. Tony finds out who Peter is crushing on

Peter was all but running out of Midtown towards the usually blacked out SUV Happy drove to school. The normally silent nonintrusive vehicle had been honking, loudly, for the past two minutes. Peter knew Happy was most likely red-faced and silently fuming, but he could suck it up. MJ had stopped him at his locker ( _ just to talk!)  _ and Peter had gladly forgotten how long he had been standing there, making Happy wait. MJ had eventually left with her usual ‘bye loser’, but this time it was paired with a half smile. Something definitely new, but something Peter could definitely get on board with. Ned had been insanely unhelpful in the help-Peter-not-be-too-obvious about his crush, but really, Ned also talked about Spider-Man non-stop, so what could Peter really expect. 

 

Back to now, twenty minutes later than Peter normally left to meet Happy, where said happy person was not looking so happy. Or impressed. 

 

“Hey Happy, sorry I’m late!”

 

Happy grunts, not giving anything else before signaling to leave the parking spot and spinning out into traffic. Peter cringes but tries not to let Happy bring him down; the best thing in his life had just happened! Happy kept glancing at Peter in the rearview mirror, noting the red face and pleased grin on the kid’s face.

 

“What took you so long today, kid?”

 

Peter looks up at Happy, concerned the man knew what he was thinking about, “Uh, nothing much, I just was talking to M— someone.” Peter flushed a bit, not sure why he stuttered over MJ’s name.

 

Happy looked at Peter suspiciously and a bit amused, “Who were you talking to for so long? I thought you saw that Ned kid like every day this week already.” 

 

“Yup I did, but wasn’t talking to Ned, it was, um, MJ,” 

 

Happy actually cocks an eyebrow at the nervous kid, “MJ, huh? Who’s this?”

 

“She’s a friend of mine and Ned’s, and she’s the captain of our academic decathlon. She’s always kind of mean, but now she sits with me and Ned at lunch and started having movie nights with us, and she’s been smiling at me a lot, and —” 

 

“Okay kid, I get it. You like this girl,” Happy chuckles, looking forward again to turn onto the last road before the Tower. Peter was left gaping in the back of the car, mouth flapping open and closed.

 

“No! Happy, I don’t, well, I guess, but don’t!” Happy busts out a laugh, way too amused for Peter’s liking. By now they’ve pulled into the parking garage beneath the Tower, and Happy stepped out leaving a beet red Peter still in the back seat. By the time Happy had reached the elevator and began stepping inside, Peter was finally out of the seat and racing to catch up. If Happy let the door catch the kid as he slipped in, Tony didn't need to know. Speaking of Tony…

 

“Does Boss know about your crush on this girl? Is that what he was talking about a few weeks ago?” Happy recalled Tony giggling to himself about the kid one day, but couldn’t seem to get it out to explain to him and Rhodey. The men had eventually given up and put Tony to bed, thinking he must have had a couple of drinks that night. 

 

“I mean, sort of? I told him I h-had a crush, but he never asked her name… so…” 

 

“So…” Happy says, obviously still too delighted by this blackmail to let it go. Peter felt like crawling through the next window he saw to escape this hell hole. 

 

“So...no, he doesn’t know who I have a crush on,” Peter said in resignation, too aware of how this could screw him over. Tony-teasing was a real, true punishment. Happy’s smile was an actual smile this time, looking decidedly shark-like in its full Pokemon evolution. “You’re not allowed to tell him.”

 

“Watch me,” Happy says, practically dashing out of the elevator as soon as it arrives and Friday helpfully opens the doors, announcing their arrival to the floor. Peter chases after Happy, dropping his backpack behind the first white couch and launching over it no-handed. He lands in a roll, effectively avoiding Miss Pott’s discarded deadly shoes and what he’s pretty sure is his missing library book, to hop up right where happy is still scurrying and body tackling the man down. Now, being a past bodyguard, Happy is a pretty solid dude. Peter, on the other hand, is a scrawny, muscley teen. With superpowers. 

 

Long story short, Peter won. And Happy wasn’t...happy. Both landed in a pile, Peter able to brace himself in time, but Happy landed on the bottom with a very loud  _ hmmph  _ sound. Meanwhile, and suitably shocked Pepper and Tony were reclined on the sofa Peter had just launched over, both staring down at the pile of limbs belonging to their charge and their friend. 

 

“Hey, kid, Hap, what’s shakin’?” Tony finally says, a little loudly to reach the wrestling pair. Both Peter and Happy stop immediately neither had noticed the two in the room before then. They break apart hastily, Peter looking up wide-eyed, and Happy suddenly very smug.

 

“Hey Boss,” Happy says cheerily, then nods at Pepper, “Boss Lady,” 

 

“Happy,” Pepper greets, trying and failing to hide the smile growing on her face. Tony was as amused as she but was more confused. Peter was not the type of kid to display this type of behaviour, as playful as it seems. Happy was even less likely to be rolling around on the carpet, and the shit eating grin on his face was intriguing. 

 

“Something happen boys?” Tony asks, looking more at Happy than the kid. Peter does look a little flushed now that he is really looking at him, maybe something really did happen…

 

“NO!” Peter yelps, trying and failing to clap a hand over Happy’s mouth. The older man simply bats away the useless limb, leaning away on instinct. Peter is still trying to grab Happy and now seems to be using his stickiness to his advantage. The whole left side of Happy’s suit is being pulled towards Peter.

 

“Yup, Peter here was late coming out of school because— ack!” Happy is suddenly pulled to the ground and has Peter sitting on his chest in milliseconds. Now Pepper is really laughing, unable to hold back her mirth at seeing her normally prickly friend play wrestling with a teenager. 

 

Tony too is trying not to laugh now, “Because?” 

 

Happy is trying so valiantly, but Peter is trying even harder, “He said he was talking to M—” Peter webbed a pillow with a flick of his wrist, the feather-stuffed decoration flying into his hands, and being stuffed into Happy’s face. Pepper chokes and Tony is really trying not to cry now. Muffled words come from the cushion, but Peter stays where he is, applying enough pressure to ensure no words can escape the older man. 

 

“What was, oh geez, didn’t quite catch that Hap,” Tony is pretty sure he’s actually wheezing with laughter now, but Pepper is no better. Miraculously, Happy manages to wiggle enough that his head bursts from beneath the pillow without Peter noticing soon enough. 

 

“He was talking to some girl!” Peter is so frazzled he barely reacts when happy throws him off.

 

“Oh? Is this the girl you were telling me about Pete?” Tony leers, wagging his eyebrows at the mortified kid. Peter looks from Tony down to Happy and back again, the same big Bambi eyes looking up at him. Tony would let it go, but this entire experience has been gold. 

 

“Uh,” Peter eloquently says, sliding off of Happy’s chest.

 

“Her name’s MJ,” Happy adds helpfully, sitting back up and leaning against the opposite couch in exhaustion. Peter just looks at him in defeat, shoulders sagging and if he had real puppy ears, they would be drooping right now. 

 

“What’s MJ stand for, Peter?” Pepper asks, having composed herself much quicker than her fiance, who is still chuckling. 

 

“It’s Michelle. Jones.” Peter mutters, resigned now to his fate. Pepper hums as she reaches out and brushes her fingers through the now very messy curls on the boys’ head.

 

“That’s very pretty,” she says and receives a happy sounding hum from the boy. 

 

“Yeah, she is,” Pepper can’t help the amused smirk, and unfortunately Peter sees it and goes very red very quickly, “I mean, yeah,  _ it  _ is.”

 

Tony, now more relaxed and less giggly, suddenly snaps, “Wait a sec, is this the same MJ who answered your phone last month? The small, angry, Pepper-esque girl?” Pepper gives Tony a bemused look but is also intrigued by Peter’s answer. Peter can’t ignore it any longer and nods. Tony’s grin grows, “oh good, I liked that one! Seriously Pep, you should meet this kid, you’d like her too. She’s a lot like you, kinda how Pete’s a bit like me, ya know? Oh my god, you could take her on as an intern and we could have a matching set!” Tony throws his hands in the air like he’d decreed the most amazing thing, but Pepper is mostly glaring at him. 

 

“How about we deal with the massive crush your kid seems to be going through first? Then we’ll talk about you assigning me interns?” 

 

Tony looks properly chastised, but glares at Peter when he notices the kids smirk, “It seems we both like powerful women, huh Pete?” And Peter is blushing again, and Tony is back to smirking.


	6. MJ asks Peter out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gotten to the point where I have so many more prompts that apply better when MJ knows about Spider-Man and Peter knows she knows. So, I've posted the chapter that will allow me not to have to limit myself so much :) 
> 
> I did make a very long chapter that will explain how Endgame will be applied to this story. However it is so long, I'm thinking I might have to post it as a separate story. I don't really want to, but am not yet sure if that would be better to keep a very 'non MJ' chapter out of this story. But then, it's also going to explain a lot for later chapters.... so I haven't decided, but will let you know when the time comes for me to post on what I've decided to do. 
> 
> Anyway, here's some cringy cute teenage angst...

Don’t get her wrong; MJ believes that the world needs to stop being run by the patriarchy, and purposefully doesn’t conform to social norms as a way to fight back in her own convoluted way. She goes to protests she believes in, helps at a women’s shelter by her apartment building, doesn’t care too much about her own appearance, and makes sure to shoot anyone down who pisses her off.

 

But she’d still like it if Peter got his shit together and asked her out already. 

 

She had it on the pretty good opinion that the boy had a crush on her. And, if she was really going to be honest with herself, she liked him too. Ned had practically confirmed it at this point, but he was still a good friend and refused to out his best friend. She respected that and hadn't pushed the boy to tell her anything. Instead, she used her superpower: observation.

 

And while her super observation had helped her figure out that Peter did, in fact, seem to have a crush on her, MJ also figured out that the boy she had a crush on had a superpower of his own. Literally. Peter Parker was freaking Spider-Man. 

 

Now, MJ saw this situation she found herself in having two solutions. One, she confront Peter about Spider-Man, demand he tell her everything and possibly lose his trust and friendship. Two, ask the loser out first, tell him that he's Spider-Man and watch him squirm before kissing him senseless in order to make him stop freaking out. 

 

She liked that one. 

 

Only now, she was stuck with the horrible task of coming up with enough courage to ask Peter out. Not that she regularly lacked in the confidence factor, but this was the first time she didn't want to mess anything up. Peter was special; he was too kind and maybe a bit naive. He was incredibly smart, genius maybe. Tony Stark had even recognized that and had scooped him up. MJ knew Peter was also too good for this world, especially now that she knew he also moonlighted as a vigilante that was regularly seen climbing trees fo save cats and help old ladies cross the street. She might be a bit in love. 

 

She managed to wait until the next week, Wednesday, though that wasn’t really on purpose. It was the same day Peter practically ran out of their last class of the day, stuttering over some lame excuse about a family emergency to their teacher. Of course, it being close to the end of the year, their teacher didn’t care too much when his student dashed outside when a very obvious and dangerous house fire was raging across the street. Seriously, how had no one else noticed Peter disappear whenever danger was somewhere close by?

 

“Mr. Spencer, may I be excused?” MJ slams her books shut, already starting to pack her things into her shoulder bag. Mr. Spencer was much less happy to let two students go so near the end of his lesson, but MJ gave him the most deadpan stare she could and saw him physically recoil and allow her to leave. As she walked (read: ran slowly) through the school hall, Michelle was internally starting to freak out. She wasn't even sure how far Peter had already gotten, or what her plan was exactly. She didn’t know what she was hoping would happen. 

 

Shit, what if he was already in the suit? Does she try to ask Spider-Man out? Or would the guy under the mask take that the wrong way? 

 

MJ just walked faster, hoping Peter was still trying to hide his school stuff and not already running head first into a fire. Avoiding the other teachers and few students lingering in the hall, MJ finally made it to the back entrance to the school, the one she knew Peter would have taken since this was the one he regularly took every Tuesday and Thursday after school. She was pretty sure it was because he went out as Spider-Man on those days. Either that or went to Stark Tower, she couldn’t be completely sure yet. 

 

The door isn’t quite closed, making MJ’s heart beat out of time for a moment and she began running. The door had just clicked shut only to be swung open again from the force in which she ran into it then being left to swing closed again as she ran full tilt down the back alley. As she ran, she noticed a backpack stuck to the side of a dumpster with a large amount of white webbing.  _ Seriously, what if someone else was even a little bit aware of their surroundings? _ If his backpack was already there, then…

 

“Peter!” MJ yelled down the alley, just really hoping he could hear her. She paused, trying to stop breathing so hard (shut up mom, yoga is enough of a sport, I don’t need to go running with you), trying to listen for the boy. There was nothing for a moment, so she yelled again. This time, there was the definite sound of scuffing shoes behind a dumpster. MJ whipped around, staring at the dumpster like she had x-ray vision and could see who or what was behind it.

 

“Peter?” she asked again, quieter than the last few times. Suddenly she was very aware she was alone in a Queens alley, the school wasn’t even out yet so there wasn’t very much traffic. Thankfully, it was Peter, emerging from the dark half of the alley, looking like he was pulling his sweater back over his head. If she wasn’t already aware of his extracurricular activities, she would be seriously worried about why the boy she had a crush on was getting undressed in an alley. 

 

“MJ? W-what are you doing out here?” Peter ran his hands through his hair a few times, shifting back and forth on his feet like he was anxious. 

 

MJ felt stupid. He was out here trying to get to a  _ fire _ for god’s sake, and here she was running after him just to ask him something she could literally have done a week ago, or any other day of the week. But she couldn’t help herself. She had known immediately why he had left class early, and her chest hurt so much when she thought about what he was about to do. The danger he could be in, though she knew he was mutated in some way so he could be impervious to fire (how the hell should she know, he hadn’t told her anything). But she could admit she was scared. And wanted to tell him that, but didn’t want to let him know she had figured him out.

 

So maybe doing something normal would help ground him, and remind him he had something to come back to. He might be careful, and come back to her and let her eventually tell him all of this.

 

“Um, well, I wanted to talk to you. After school. Today,” she said, still trying to catch her breath, but much better at hiding it now. Peter’s eyes flickered over her whole body as if he was trying to calculate something. 

 

“O-okay, well, I had something come up, so I couldn’t — can’t really stay…”

 

“Right, yup,” MJ interrupted, needing desperately to get this out before he ran off, “I can be quick,” he nodded, allowing her the time to say whatever it was she needed to say. Once again, MJ was struck by how nice and polite and kind this boy was. “I was wondering if you wanted to grab some ice cream this weekend?”

 

Peter’s eyes flew open wide, staring at MJ to the point where she began getting fidgety, “Like, l-like to study, or…?”

 

MJ felt a little disappointed, but she didn’t want to show Peter that. Maybe she had read him wrong, maybe she wasn’t such as keen an observer as she thought she was, “Not really what I meant, but sure, if you need to study that’s fine, we can study. I guess if you don’t want to do that, the three of us could meet up instead…”

 

“NO!” Peter burst out, this time making MJ’s eyes grow wide as she watched Peter, red-faced and curly hair a complete mess was reaching out like he was trying to grab her arm, “I mean, no, that’s not what I want,”

 

Now she felt stupid, “Right, okay, well, I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing.” she spun around, feeling her neck burning red and her chest hurt so badly she felt like she might cry.

“MJ! Michelle, wait!” Peter was by her side now, his hand wrapping around her elbow to spin her back around, “you’re misunderstanding me, I’m sorry!”

 

She was trying valiantly not to cry, “It’s fine loser, let’s just forget about it, alright?”

 

“No, MJ, please, that isn't what I meant. I just meant I didn’t want it to be me, you and Ned. I’d really like to see you this weekend,” he looked as sincere MJ felt like she had stolen a puppy from him. 

 

“You sure?” she had to check, even if it sounded like she was unsure about herself. She wasn’t. But still, she wanted to check.

 

Peter grinned at her, giving her elbow a quick squeeze that set her heart fluttering again. His grin went a bit lopsided for some reason she couldn’t understand, but she gave him a soft smile back and nodded, agreeing on their plan. (Later, she would embarrassingly realize he had been able to hear her heartbeat every time it fluttered or beat faster when he touched her.)

 

“Okay, it’s a date,” Peter said softly, letting go of her arm. She felt the loss immediately but stood where she was watching him back away. “Now, I  _ really  _ want to keep this conversation going, but I do need to get—” He pointed behind himself, either consciously or subconsciously pointing directly to the fire that was slowly getting worse. MJ was quick to nod, allowing him the chance to turn and scatter. MJ watched for a moment longer before she heard a weird  _ thwip _ noise and someone in the street yelling out for Spider-Man.

 

She smiled, feeling so warm and content that she didn’t even mind that Peter had practically run away from her after agreeing to a date this weekend. She couldn’t help herself from whispering a little prayer like comment into the alley, hoping just a bit that he might be able to still hear her, “Sounds good, Tiger,”


	7. Peter knows that MJ knows that he's Spider-Man

Peter was late picking her up. She should have seen it coming really, with the number of times he hadn't shown up to class or was late or tardy from decathlon practices, but she had hoped this was something he could manage to be on time for. MJ had been sitting on the park bench they had texted about yesterday, agreeing it was a good in-between spot for them to meet at. She had purposefully left her sketchpad at home, feeling for once that she wouldn't need it to blend into the rest of the world. Today she expected to stick out. At least enough that she didn’t have to hide from anyone, especially if adorable, puppy-dog Peter Parker was going to be with her. 

However he was not currently with her, and she was itching to take out the book she had smuggled into her bag before she left. Her mom hadn't asked where she was going, as per usual, just that she expected her back before midnight. Cinderella curfew given, MJ had left without comment on the fact that her mom never waited up for her anyway. 

 

The homeless man across the park had now looked over at her for the third time, scoping out the bench she had been sitting on for forty-five minutes now. MJ was beginning to feel bad for taking up such prime real estate and decided if he was another ten minutes late, she would be leaving, and allow the man time to settle into his concrete bed before the sky darkened. 

 

“MJ!” Or not. MJ looked over her shoulder to see the loser she so desperately liked, running towards her. He was wearing his usual nerdy shirt and hoodie, dark pants and very worn out sneakers. He was still clutching his backpack that MJ now knew held his ever-present Spider-Man suit (not that he knew she knew), and his hair was its usual curly mess however it looked a bit sweaty now. She squinted at him as he neared, giving him an analytical once over as he got closer. His hair was sweaty as she noticed before and his hooded sweater had one arm pushed up to his elbow while the other was loose. Somehow he hadn’t tripped over his one untied shoe, and she’s pretty sure there was a very fresh looking bruise colouring the side of his neck. She didn’t want to think too hard about how he got it, but it did prove one thing: he was late for their date because of Spider-Man.

 

“Hey! I’m _so_ sorry I’m late, there was a— thing, with uh, May,” he was barely panting, but was trying very hard to fake it. MJ squinted at him, smirking when she made him fidget back and forth on his feet. He suddenly noticed his shoe was untied, and blushingly bent over to fix it.

 

“You said we’d meet at five,” MJ finally said, looking him dead in the eyes when he looked back up to her. 

 

“I know,” he sounded remorseful, rubbing at the back of his neck, “I really am sorry. Not exactly the way I was hoping to start our date,” MJ continued watching him, still sitting on the bench as he stood up. He’d always been a bit shorter than her so this was the first time she’d ever had to look up at him. She found she was a bit frustrated by the fact he was still very cute from this angle too. 

 

She stood quickly, trying to keep him on edge. She found she desperately needed to keep that edge right now, or she’d lose her cool, “What exactly were you thinking was going to happen then?” 

 

Peter gulped, his cheeks dusted pink, “Um, well, being on time was on the list,”

 

MJ couldn’t help but smile, keeping close enough that she could count his eyelashes if she wanted to. But that would have to wait, she was busy right now, “Good start,”

 

He was looking right at her now, his nervousness still there, but MJ saw that devilish brave Peter Parker in his eyes, “And I was hoping there’d be ice cream,” 

 

“Me too, but I’m not sure if anywhere close is still open now…”

 

He winced a bit, but kept watching her, “Right, raincheck then?”

 

“Is there a time limit on it? Wouldn’t want to use it a lose it when you’re held up again,” MJ asks bluntly, watching to see how he’d react. She knew she was still acting aloof, but it was hard to pull back after being so guarded all the time. 

 

Peter sighed, “MJ, I’m really—’

“You already said sorry, Parker. Now, I need you to decide if this date is still happening, or if you think you’re going to end up leaving again. Cause I really wanted to see you today, and I was told three different times from you, and you were still late.”

 

Peter looked exceptionally guilty, and MJ felt a little bad, but she also needed to stay strong. If he really did like her as he said, then he’d try a little harder to see her. She also felt bad for making him basically decide between her and Spider-Man at this moment, but it wasn't like she was going to make him stop. Just pay attention to her too. 

 

“Ok, that’s fair,” he said and leaned forward to take her hand in his. She looked down, feeling a bit of shock but also a little jolt of giddiness. “And if I could tell you everything that happened today, I don’t think you’d believe me anyway. But, just, please believe me that I was trying _really freaking hard_ to get here on time.”

 

“I do believe you,” MJ said quickly, looking back at him. He seemed happy with that, but MJ felt like they were both trying too hard to lie to each other when this was when they should be telling each other things about themselves. Secrets and stories, little tidbits about one another for each other to memorize and like. Maybe something for them to argue about occasionally, but nothing that could make them dislike one another. This was her first date for crying out loud. They were supposed to be eating ice cream at the pier and pretending not to be playing footsie under the table. Holding hands for the first time, and maybe even sharing a kiss at the end of the night. Instead, MJ couldn’t stop thinking about that bruise on his neck and just how he got it. 

 

“I believe you were busy, Peter, I do. But my real problem with you being late is that you aren’t telling me _why_ you were so busy.”

 

Peter frowned, “MJ, it’s really nothing.”

 

“Seven hours of changing the time for us to meet up isn’t nothing, Parker.”

 

He huffed, letting go of her hand. She felt remorse at its loss but continued watching him. She was suddenly aware of the homeless man again, who was now getting up and walking closer to her bench, “We should get going,” she says, stopping whatever it was Peter was about to say.

 

He looked a little lost, and maybe even sad, but followed her none the less. MJ took a few slow steps before reaching her hand over to his side, poking her pinkie at the side of his fingers. Peter startled and looked at her. MJ kept her face neutral, but her hand stayed stretched out just enough to continue brushing against his hand as they continued walking. Peter did get the hint and took her hand in his. She felt him relax a bit and was glad he wasn’t scared of her. 

 

She didn’t really have a plan for where they were going, but Peter seemed content to just walk, so MJ followed him following her and continued to walk around the park. She felt nervous about the information she was about to say and what she hoped she was about to learn. But it all really depended on just how much Peter trusted her. They were now entering a quieter part of the park aside from the happy squeals of a small family enjoying a late playtime at the play park. 

 

“MJ,” Peter started, but MJ suddenly wasn’t ready. She pulled him onto another path and continued walking until the sounds of the family became a little quieter. Neither one of them said anything for a while, until Peter tried again, “Michelle, I was wond—”

 

“Can you still hear them?” She asked quickly, her heart beating a staccato beat. Peter looked at her. Just looked. 

 

“Who? Those kids?” 

 

“Yeah,” she nodded and received a slow nod back. She took his hand once more and continued walking until she really couldn’t hear them.

 

“How about now?” 

 

Peter was watching her calmly, his brows in a very slight frown. Otherwise, his entire being was being held very still. He hadn’t let go of her hand yet, something she was very grateful for although at this moment she wanted very badly to be hiding behind an oversized shirt and book. She needed her shields right now, but she also needed to tear his down and it wouldn’t be fair for her to keep hers while his disappeared. 

 

“Yeah, I can still kinda hear them,”

 

“Okay,” she said, but he didn’t say anything else, as though he was waiting for her to explain exactly what she was doing. If she had any doubt about his extracurricular activities, this conversation would most likely doom their friendship let alone any future relationship if she was wrong. But she knew she wasn’t; she was too observational. 

 

“I’m gonna ask you something.” She whispers, and Peter just keeps watching her. He nods once, enough for her to know to continue. “I need you to listen, and not run away, or laugh at me. I need you to tell me the truth Peter.”

 

MJ was whispering now. She knew there wasn’t anyone nearby, and Peter would definitely stop her from saying anything incriminating if someone did show up. Peter cleared his throat, “Okay, MJ, I’m…”

 

“Spider-Man.”

 

Peter still managed to look shocked. MJ wanted to laugh but kept her cool. He was such a dork.

“N-no! No, that’s not, I mean, uh,” he petered off while MJ watched him cooly.

 

“I mean, it’s pretty obvious,”

 

“But, you— MJ, I swear, I,”

 

“Peter. I _know_.”

 

MJ watched Peter’s shoulders slump and she felt a bit elated that he wasn’t denying it anymore, and that she had _solved it_. He looked back up at her, giving her fingers a quick squeeze before he pulled her a little bit closer to him. She was very close to him again, this time finding it hard to not count his eyelashes. 

 

“I was going to tell you eventually,” he whispered into her cheek, his lips so _very very very_ close to hers. MJ felt a bit frozen, maybe she was even a bit in shock. “It’s a hard thing for me to tell actually. Ned and May both found out accidentally, but Ned kept saying it would be okay to tell you, and especially after you asked me out, and this whole month I’ve been thinking about you…”

 

“A month?” MJ broke in, her voice most definitely _not_ cracking, thank you. Peter’s lips quirked in a quick grin, but he remained close to her, still watching her reactions. 

 

“Maybe more than a month, but I don’t want to scare you off,”

 

“Don’t you think that’s a bit unlikely now?” She had to ask, still feeling like she couldn’t take a full breath. Peter’s eyes flicked down to her lips before looking back at her.

 

“Maybe a bit,” he whispers back before leaning in enough to give a quick peck to her lips before backing off like he’d never been there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is kind of a rushed chapter. I really wanted to post it on my birthday, and only made it by two hours.
> 
> Happy Canada Day!!!!!
> 
> Next chapter will be back to the less angsty stuff and back to weird fluffy fluff.


	8. Tony meets MJ: part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cute Peter/MJ stuff on the horizon now folks! If there's any prompts or prompt words you have ...send em my way! I've been mashing some of my own together in some chapters :)

They hadn’t had a moment alone since their mess of a date last week. MJ had ended up with the same flu as her little sister over that weekend so hadn’t been back to school until Tuesday. It had taken many hours of consoling texts, a phone call, and even roping Ned into the whole thing for MJ to convince Peter she really was sick and wasn’t hiding from him now that she ‘officially’ knew about Spider-Man. He was still worried, but it was easier to hide his fear from Ned than from MJ. Peter also hadn’t really broken it to Ned that he and MJ were sort of an item now. He was very aware that MJ knew about Spider-Man which he found hilarious when Peter told him MJ basically told him she had known since last year. 

 

They’d spent the few days up until MJ was too busy puking to answer him back, texting back and forth. Peter had never felt better than he did now. The girl he really liked was texting him (sometimes even blatantly flirting with him!), she knew about his superhero alter ego and was pretty accepting about it. And, oh yeah, she was super pretty and incredibly smart. He didn’t think he deserved her to be honest, but MJ was quick to tell him he was kinda stuck with her now. 

 

He was genuinely missing her now though. He had been banking on being able to be around her for the entire school day since the weekend until he was told about her symptoms and became a sulky mess. Ned had noticed but just assumed something had happened with May, and he was just in a bad mood. Not true about May, but he  _ was _ in a bad mood. It was day three of no MJ at school which means no hand-holding, or sitting with her at lunch, or watching her draw during class. School was already over for the day and Peter was already suited up and crouched on a random rooftop.

 

“Karen, call MJ please,” Peter asks the AI as he sits down on the ledge, lifting his legs up to hang them over the edge to swing back and forth. 

 

“Sure Peter,” Karen responds and a ring tone is heard, ringing three times before MJ answers. 

 

“Hello?” her voice is rough and scratchy but Peter still perks up at hearing it.

 

“Hey MJ, were you asleep?” he asks, suddenly a little sorry he was bugging her.

 

Shuffling sounds carry over the line before MJ answers back in the negative, “No, I kinda wish I could sleep. Every time I lay flat I just get nauseous. So, pillows have become my backbone now. I think I’m going to find a way to fuse them to my back so I can just keep them attached to me at all times.”

 

Peter grins into the mask, glad his face is covered so the pigeons next to him can’t see him grinning like a loon, “Very ingenious MJ,”

 

MJ hums lowly, making Peter shift a bit in his spot, “You’ll have to tell Stark about that one, I bet he could make it happen,”

 

Peter chuckles as he lifts the mask enough to start eating the apple a street vendor had tossed him one street over, “I think if I told him my girlfriend wants pillows fused to her back he might get the wrong idea.”

 

MJ bursts out laughing before she has to stop to cough, but Peter keeps smiling. He hadn’t ever heard MJ laugh before this week, and he’d already decided it was one of his favourite sounds. Calling one another had become the new normal for them this week, and Peter delighted in his super hearing being able to pick up little noises and movement from her end she probably couldn't hear on his. It was like he was closer to her than he was and with him missing her today it felt nice to have this little thing all to himself. 

 

"Who knew Peter Parker had such crass humor hidden under those dorky nerd shirts," MJ snickered, and Peter knew she couldn't see him blushing, but still tried to hide the fact that his cheeks were burning. 

 

"I think that's just the Spider-Man humor coming out. You're in for it now, by the way. If you thought I talked too much as regular Peter, get ready for the other guy."

 

MJ snorts but stays pretty silent, "I like how much 'regular' Peter talks. If I get more from Spidey, I'm not complaining."

 

Peter couldn't stop smiling now. That pigeon was giving him a dirty look, but fuck that pigeon. He missed her a lot now, so much his toes were curled in the effort not to swing over to her apartment just to see her. But she had put a very strict no visiting mandate on herself, as she, and he was mind quoting her here, 'was so puffy he wouldn't be able to tell her and her dog apart'. He didn't know what that meant, but he was a little bummed he wasn't allowed to find out. Plus, why was he only now being told one of his best friends has a dog?! Outrageous. 

 

"How are you feeling today? You sound better," he asks, sort of purposefully and selfishly. He really wanted to see her. 

 

MJ hums again, sounding sleepy, "Honestly better. I haven't had to hurl for almost a full twenty-four hours, so things are looking up."

"That's good at least. How's your sister?"

 

Peter could hear the smile through her voice as she answered, "she's much better. She says to say thank you for texting a picture of a kitten to make her feel better. You’re kind of a sap, by the way,”

 

“Are you saying you didn’t enjoy the cute kitten?”

 

“...We’re not talking about me right now,” both giggled a bit, and continued just talking for another hour. Unfortunately, that hour was cut short (in Peter’s opinion) when Karen began talking over his story about saving said kitten from a tree the day before.

 

“Peter, Tony Stark is calling you,” Peter cut himself off to gape at the little icon of Tony sitting in the corner of his mask, the image jumping around when he doesn’t answer it right away.

 

“Stark is calling you? Did you forget you had a date with him today?” MJ asks as she overhears Karen talking to Peter, “I thought you weren’t meeting until tomorrow?”

“We aren’t,” Peter says, standing up and brushing off his suit before launching himself up to a higher rooftop. Not that the one he was on was bad or anything, but that pigeon was kinda sketching him out. So, he was midswing when Karen picked up Tony’s call, minimizing MJ’s call down to the bottom corner of the mask. 

 

“Underoos, mind telling me why you’ve been on the same rooftop for the past two hours?” Tony’s face fills most of the screen, looking like he was in the middle of the penthouse of the tower. He must have been working in the lab though since Peter could definitely see a grease-stained band t-shirt collar poking out from the bottom of the screen icon. 

 

“Uh, hey Mr. Stark, I’m still patrolling, but like did you need me? Or…”

 

“No, kid, I was more so hoping you didn’t need me. Friday checked your vitals and said your heart rate kept spiking, but I couldn’t tell if you were in trouble.” Tony did look a little worried now that Peter really checked. He knew if he blushed red right now, Tony would just ask him what was happening, and Peter didn’t think he’d be able to handle that right now. MJ’s very muffled snickering from the other side of his mask wasn’t helping things when he realized Mr. Stark had been watching Peter’s jumping heart rate while he was talking to MJ.

 

“No Mr. Stark, sorry, I was talking to a friend of mine and sat down on the roof. Sorry, I wasn’t thinking about how worried you might've been, I just didn’t want to get distracted and hit a wall, you know?” Peter was 99.98% sure MJ just smacked her faced into a pillow to stop laughing at him. 

 

“What is that noise?” Tony’s face looked so genuinely confused Peter had to stop swinging so he really wouldn’t hit a wall.

 

“That’s my friend I was telling you about. Karen kinda connected you when I was still talking…”

 

“Are you telling me you answered me with another minor listening in? Is it Ted? Ted, buddy, I need to talk to your bestie—”

 

“Not Ned, Mr. Stark. It’s MJ,”

 

Tony’s face scrunches up before going blank then lighting up excitedly, “The scary girl? Hell yeah, hey Scary Spice, what’s cracking! Guess this means the Spidey secret has been unleashed once again, kid.” Tony is leaning back in his seat, and Peter can now see a large mug of coffee in his hand.

 

Face meet palm, “Mr. Stark, seriously?”

 

“Hello Stark, nice to hear from you again. Thank you for calling,” MJ’s scratchy voice came through the mask, connecting her to Tony. 

 

Peter huffed and sat down in the middle of the random apartment building he’d found. May as well get comfy, the two most stubborn people he’d ever met were having a discussion through him at the moment, “You two do realize I’m still here right?”

 

“Shush,” MJ says, and Peter can hear how sore her throat must be, but she’s too delighted in embarrassing him right now to care, “your handlers are speaking. We need to manage your upcoming schedule to make sure there’s no conflict between us.” Peter makes a weird noise somewhere between choking and squeaking that has Tony stifling a laugh in order to remain in ‘the scene’. Stupid dramatic people.

 

“Aw, Petey I wasn’t told about your new management,” Tony says, once more completely serious.

 

“It’s a pretty new development,” MJ says in a snooty type voice, “we really only shook hands on the deal last week.” Peter rolled his eyes, knowing she was referencing their walk through the park, holding hands last week. 

 

“Uh huh,” Tony looked back at Peter’s screen, trying to make eye contact with the kid, “that’s interesting, huh Pete?”

 

“Yup, haha, you guys are hilarious. Did you need me for something Mr. Stark?”

 

“I’ll take care of him during school hours of course, and I’m already aware of your minimum of two meetings during the evening in the week. However, we’ll have to renegotiate on weekends. I’d like to see him once or twice during two non-school days, but I can leave it to Parker to decide the final time table. Okay? Buh-bye,” Peter could really only watch as the small icon that had been Michelle’s call blip away as Karen announces that MJ had hung up. 

 

Tony looks at Peter in complete bewilderment, but the younger boy can only sigh and sink into the silence MJ left behind her. 

 

“Have I mentioned that I find her kind of scary?”

 

“Everyone finds her scary, Mr. Stark.”

 

“All right,” the tiny Tony nods his head likes he’s still trying to wrap his head around what just happened, “Hey Pete?”

 

Peter was still internally cringing, “Yeah Mr. Stark?”

 

“Just wanna check. You dating this chick now?”

 

Peter pursed his lips, took a big breath and kinda nodded into the exhale, “Yup,”

 

Tony was also just nodding, “Okay,” the two just sat in the silence, “not gonna lie, kiddo, this is not the way I thought I’d find out about your first girlfriend.”

 

“You mean by speaking to her during a ‘conference call’?” Peter deadpans, still a bit miffed the two had used him like a speakerphone.

 

Tony scoffed a laugh but suddenly went kind of ashen-faced, “ _ Fucking _ — did I just cut into my kid’s phone sex call?”

 

Peter was so glad he was sitting down, “NO!”


	9. Peter really needs a snuggle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, thank you, everyone, for being so patient with me! I ended up binging Harry Potter fics for a while as I was at the point where I had run out of MCU ones I liked. Then I went for a family vacation and took a break from writing entirely. Luckily, I had this chapter ready so I can upload it for you guys and continue writing the next one.
> 
> Thanks also for all the support for this story! I know I don't really get back to many people about their reviews, but I promise I read them all and smile! 
> 
> Enjoy!

This was not Peter’s week. It had started out fine with the usual stress of school and the freedom of Spider-Manning in the evenings, however, things began to decline after Monday. Tuesday led in with a pop quiz in English, which really sucked since Peter kind of hadn’t read anything for the class yet. That class then led to a crumby Chem class where the forgotten batch of experimental new Spider web fluid in the bottom of his desk exploded with a pink cloud (which would be interesting in another scenario, but right now he was kinda bummed out about it). The day got much worse with Flash hanging over his shoulder for the rest of the day as they, unfortunately, shared all their afternoon classes. 

 

Usually being on patrol after school was a way for Peter to decompress, but with Parker Luck™ that day’s patrol went so terribly that Peter ended up going home early. Once he had stripped out of his suit yelling to May that he was home and flopped on his bed did Peter remember he was supposed to be at the Tower tonight. Groaning, he rolled onto the floor and sloppily army crawled to his closet to pull on some sweats and a shirt before barrel rolling out of his room to go on his way. 

 

The week didn’t get worse, but is for sure wasn’t any better. Ned ended up going home sick on Thursday, and MJ was so overtired she wasn’t even a good conversationalist. Peter ended most days leaving a very quick peck on her cheek before he dashed off, as she either would forget to say goodbye in her sleepy state or physically couldn’t say her byes fast enough for him. Because of his bad mood and her zombie brain, the couple hadn’t really had a moment alone for what felt like forever. 

 

MJ had told him midweek that she was having trouble sleeping. Peter had been considerate and tried to help her out during school, almost to the point where normally she would have reprimanded him for being chauvinistic. Opening doors and carrying her things when they were threatening to fall out of her arms was all he felt he could do aside from carrying her around the school so she wouldn’t swerve into walls when her eyes closed for one second too long. She hadn’t told him why she was so tired, but he had a feeling she had been taking care of her little sister again. He didn’t know too much about her situation with her mom, but he knew MJ sometimes too a lot of the responsibilities for her sister off of her mom. He also knew it wasn’t his place to say anything, and instead tried to let her rest as much as possible during the day. 

 

Friday though...Friday was the worst. MJ fell asleep during their English class which got her detention. Not her fault, but now Peter missed telling her goodbye for the weekend. He was meant to be going up to the compound with Mr. Stark and wouldn’t be in Queens until Monday again. 

 

Feeling dejected and angry, Peter spent most of his evening swinging around. Tony had told him they weren’t able to leave until midnight as he, unfortunately, had a call he had to take before they could leave. This left Peter with too much free time for his week-long bad mood to simmer. He was angry at himself, missed Ned, was disappointed he couldn’t see MJ for days, and  _ nothing _ was happening for Spider-Man to do. 

 

Swinging idly, Peter suddenly spotted a familiar face in a window he was nearby. It was well past ten now, and he wasn’t due back to the Tower until half-past eleven. He made sure to land on his toes and fingers on the fire escape above the intended window so he could judge when the right time to make himself known was. The lights inside went out for the most part. There was one lamp still on as Peter could still make out shadows passing back and forth. Waiting another moment and trying not to listen to closely to what was happening inside, Peter reached out to tap on the window. The footsteps faltered, and Peter decided to wait where he was hanging upside down from the bottom of the stairwell above her window as MJ came into view, peering up at him. She stared at him wide-eyed and all Peter could do was give her a cheesy wave. 

 

MJ immediately lunged to open the window, craning her head under and up to glare at him, “ _ Peter!”  _ she was kind of whisper-yelling, “ _ what are you doing?!”  _

 

“Uh, dropping by?” he tries for a joke but MJ just starts mumbling to herself as she reaches outside the window into the cool air. Peter can see the exposed skin on her arms prickle with goosebumps and he feels a bit bad for making her come so close to the window now. 

 

“Get  _ in here _ ,” she’s still whispering, but it's in a softer tone than it was before that. She’s got a hand around the fabric on his shoulder and pulls him down. He lets his feet unstick from the underside of the stairwell to allow her the control of pulling him inside. He slips underneath the half-cracked window and closes it behind him quickly and quietly to stop the cool air from slipping in after him. Turning back around, Peter barely catches the blanket being thrown at his face. Belatedly he wonders why his spidey-sense didn’t warn him but then is too excited to be wrapped in a warm blanket that he ignores the thought and pulls off his mask. He goes to wrap the blanket around his shoulders but notices MJ giving him a weird look. 

 

“What?” he asks, standing in the middle of her bedroom, a blanket around his shoulders like little kid. MJ sort of shakes her head a bit, like she’s physically trying to get rid of the cobwebs (haha) in her head. 

 

“This is just the first time I’ve seen  _ you _ as Spider-Man,”

 

Peter gives her a confused grimace, “You’ve literally spoken to me when I’m patrolling,”

 

MJ scoffs, “Yeah, but I just watched you unmask for the first time. It’s a little strange, I'm not gonna lie. My boyfriend moonlights as a vigilante in spandex.” 

 

Peter is trying really hard not to laugh as he reaches towards her, pulling her closer to him. He’s missed her witty comments so much this week, this feels like a breath of fresh air. He waits until she’s tucked into his side to drop a kiss to her forehead, “I missed you,”

 

“We literally saw each other at school today, loser,” 

 

“Well yeah, but neither of us have had a very good week,” MJ nodded minutely conceding him that point, “and I’m gone this weekend,” she made a negative little grunting noise that Peter took as her displeasure, “so I thought I’d come to see you until I have to leave.”

 

“That’s sweet Parker, but I have to admit I’m dead on my feet right now,” MJ actually allows herself to sink into his side letting Peter know she really is tired. Looking around, Peter notes the door is already closed and the lights in the rest of the apartment seem to be off.

 

“Everyone else asleep already?”

 

“Yeah, I put Lainey down an hour ago,” MJ says sleepily, her head just resting on his shoulder. Peter tries to subtly nudge her head to rest in the crook of his neck while he shifts the blanket off his shoulders. 

 

“I’m kinda surprised you’re still awake,” he murmurs down to her, rubbing his hand up and down the middle of her back.

 

MJ hums, her eyes already closed, “She woke up a few minutes ago. Otherwise, I  _ was _ asleep.”

 

Peter makes the executive decision to take charge. Making sure he doesn’t trip on the loose blanket, Peter scoops Michelle up by the backs of her thighs, hiking her up to his waist. She lets out a shocked grunt but automatically wraps her legs around him so she can keep her head against his neck and her hands curled between their chests. Carefully stepping over their blanket and the books and other bits of clutter on her floor, Peter gets to her bed and sits down carefully. MJ stays cradled on his lap, accepting Peter’s petting motion moving across her back as it soothes her and begins to make her drift off. But he’s moving again, and MJ finds herself being moved once more. Making sure to make some kind of noise to let him know he’s disturbing her, MJ suddenly finds herself laying down. 

 

“What you doin’?” She mumbles, her legs still trying to stay entwined behind his back. Peter chuckles as he pulls her legs off of him and stands back up. MJ isn’t proud of it, but she makes grabby hands trying to keep him closer.

 

“Can I borrow some sweats?” he asks and while MJ is confused she gestures to her dresser, which he goes over to and as unintrusively as he can find a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. MJ is going to kick herself later for being unable to keep her eyes open in her sleepy state, especially when Peter is back on her bed with her in his borrowed clothes and she realizes he was nearly naked a second ago.

 

“I thought you were leaving?” She mumbles as Peter lays next to her. He slides one arm underneath her shoulders, using the other to push hair out of her face. 

 

“Karen’s going to text me when Mr. Stark is asking after me. Otherwise, I’m all yours until then,” MJ shivers at the whispered promise against her hair, but feels no shame when she snuggles closer. “When I leave, promise you’ll let your mom help Lainey if she wakes up again. You really need sleep MJ,” she can’t think of a single reason why she should disagree, so she closes her eyes and falls asleep almost instantly. 

 

She has no idea when he leaves, but she wakes up around noon on Saturday to soft music playing in the living room behind her closed door, and the gentle singing voice of her sister. The only thing that tells MJ she wasn’t dreaming and Peter really did cuddle her to sleep is the crumpled pile of borrowed clothes tucked in the side of her bed. Next time, she’s teaching him how to fold. 

 

-,-,-,-,-,-,

 

The next time turns out to be in a very different scenario that needs no folding of borrowed clothes. Both have their own pajamas on already, as does Ned and Betty who are sitting together of the other couch. It was Peter’s turn to host a movie night and had suggested everyone sleeping over as it was a stat holiday the day after. Betty had been a little unsure as this could technically be counted as her and Ned’s first date as they had planned to go out for a movie on Saturday instead but were now having a ‘study date’ (MJ continued to use very obvious finger quotations whenever anyone mentioned it). MJ had agreed to the movie night since she had been to many of the boys’ movie nights and knew May really had no problem with her sleeping over. She’d slept over a lot; however, this would be the first time since she and Peter started dating. Betty had agreed that the sleepover sounded like fun once she heard MJ agree. 

 

Now each boy had chosen their couches and had a girl next to them, and a bowl of chips on the other side. Perfect. MJ had arrived in purple fleece pants and a Midtown sweater. Her shoes had come off and she had immediately flopped onto a couch to pull on the thickest softest looking socks Peter had ever seen. He made a mental note to get some for May for Christmas. Betty had arrived with Ned, a little nervous but very happy to be dressed in cozy clothes and around Ned. 

 

Peter popped in the horror film Betty had chosen (which still kind of boggled his mind) and leaned back on the couch that had basically formed to his backside. MJ hadn’t taken long to tip over into him, nuzzling into his shoulder until his face was full of her curly hair. Peter was trying very hard not to break out into a cheesy grin, but the looks Betty kept throwing him told him he was failing. Ned wasn’t as comfortable as they were, as his friend continually chickened out of putting his arm around Betty or sitting any closer to her. Maybe next time, thought Peter. 

 

They were halfway through the movie, and Peter was giving himself a headache trying to stifle the belly laughs. MJ was  _ terrified _ of horror films. News for him, but boy was he enjoying himself. Even Ned was grinning every time he looked over when MJ let out a squeak when a jump scare made everyone else flinch. She had moved back over in retaliation to his continued laughter, but Peter had her back in his arms every time the tension was too high and she scooted back over to press her side against him. May had gotten home when there was a particularly loud and climactic jump scare and had promptly begun laughing when MJ screeched and vaulted over the back of the couch before log rolling into the kitchen. Ned had to pause the movie while Betty and Peter tried to compose themselves. 

 

May left by the time Peter was able to coax MJ back with the offer of his share of the pretzels. MJ agreed, but also sat right on his lap, curled half into the couch arm he had been leaning against. Ned looked incredibly jealous, but Peter was too busy being happy with this new information about his girlfriend. 

 

After the movie, the four took turns playing funny videos online until MJ started nodding off. Peter stole Ned away to go and pull his mattress into the living room. Once they got back, the girls had pulled all the couch cushion onto the floor and were currently laying down blankets as well. Betty rushed off to take out her contacts while MJ flopped down onto her pile of pillows. Ned took the other pile, obviously thinking Betty would like the mattress. Peter debated just laying flip side from Ned, but MJ was already looking at him deadpan over a large down pillow she had brought from home. Problem solved then.

 

Peter was laying down next to MJ when he saw Ned giving him a thumbs up that he couldn’t reciprocate in fear of MJ seeing and thinking he’s a dick. He finds a good divot in between a few cushions then rolls MJ over to lay half on top of him. She’s already cozy and limp so let’s him settle her down before she looks up from his shoulder. 

 

“Lainey told me you could borrow her special blanket during our fun sleepover, then it would be like she was here too,” MJ smirks and gestures to the very plush blush pink knitted blanket still folded over once, and nearly bursting from the reusable bag she’d brought it over in. Grinning like a loon, Peter reached behind him and launches the bag away as he flips the blanket to cover both of them. Ned is laughing at him as Betty comes in and sees the couple’s cozy sleeping arrangement. She’s only blushing a bit as she makes her way to the leftover mattress, but pays down on the side she can be closest to Ned on. 

 

“I’ll make sure to thank her next time I see her,” 

 

“She’ll be thrilled,” MJ says in that disinterested manner of hers, but she has a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. Peter leans down to give her a kiss that MJ lets linger for a moment longer than usual, making both of them warm and happy. They fall asleep listening to each other’s heartbeat and the quiet nervous flirting of their friends nearby.

 

The next morning May is the first one up to get ready for work. She looks over the slumbering teenagers, happy to see they were just as responsible as she knew they were. She pauses when she notes Peter isn’t sharing with Ned but with MJ instead. The two are intwined on a mountain of pillows, the top half of both of them and their twisted feet the only things she can see. She grins and turns away. Clothes are on, she knows she raised that boy right.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 

It’s not like they plan to nap, but any time MJ and Peter find themselves alone they end up having a nap together. MJ claims it's because she sleeps better next to him, but Peter knows it's also because she _gets_ _more_ sleep with him, as Lainey isn't around when they’re together. Sometimes their naps have gotten them in trouble, mostly from Ned when he tries to call them but neither pick up and it freaks him out. May has walked into Peter’s room multiple times to find them napping, rolls her eyes and either wakes them up if it’s already late or closes the door until its only open a crack. Their nap positions haven’t changed much since their first night together; Peter on his back with MJ curled into his side, half on top of him with her head pillowed on his shoulder or his arm. Usually, her arms are curled against her chest, or sometimes she’ll have an arm thrown over his stomach. Every time, their legs end up entwined someway, even when Peter knows they started out completely separate. 

 

This time ends up the same after a study session on a Tuesday night. May has come to terms with the two being together most nights as MJ has taken to staying overnight as well. Her mom doesn’t care too much, especially knowing that May is so cool with it. The two have only been home for an hour before they’re already dozing off. MJ toes off her shoes before succumbing to the imminent nap. Peter is already asleep by the time she’s settled and dozing. It’s not meant to be a long nap, as Peter was scheduled to stop in at the Tower for suit maintenance. Tony hadn’t been in town for a week for a conference in California but was eager to catch up with his mentee. 

 

It wasn’t like Peter to miss out on their meetings. Tony had waited an extra hour after their arranged time before he was asking Friday to pulls up the specs for the Spider-Man suit.

 

"The Spider-Man suit if still offline, boss." 

 

'Don't panic,' Tony stared at the silent screen, reading through the information Friday had displayed without being asked. The kid's suit hadn't been used all day. Panic was definitely setting in now no matter what mantra he repeated in his head. 

 

"Fri, phone the kid," There was a pause, then,

"It seems Mr. Parker's phone is offline, boss,"

 

Nope. Mantra over. Tony is sending a suit over to himself so fast, he's pretty sure he broke his own record. Thoughts of Peter is trouble or Peter out cold, or Peter hurt has him scrambling to leave nearly clipping the side of the open roof Friday had helpfully opened upon him requesting a suit. Good girl. 

 

The trip to Queens takes about two minutes, but Tony is already blaming himself for moving so slowly when Peter could be in danger. He's at the Parker's apartment and demanding Friday scan the apartment before he enters. If it's just May in there he doesn't want to scare her to death. 

 

"Two heat signatures detected in the far bedroom, boss."

 

Tony takes pause, "May and Peter?"

 

Friday hums, sounding amused though Tony is too stressed to take note of it, "Not Mrs. Parker."

 

That's all Tony really needs as he bursts into the apartment and is down the hall in the last bedroom, Peter's room, before Friday can say another word. And as quickly as Tony wanted to get here to his kid, he needed a billion more moments before he was seeing what he was seeing. 

 

Peter Parker, his kid, was asleep. With a girl. In an empty apartment. With his hand up her shirt. Tony is suddenly broiling with anger.

 

"What the hell is this?" he's not yelling, but a disappointed dad voice has definitely just occurred. Peter and MJ start a little, but they are obviously groggy and are both looking around in confusion to what has disturbed their slumber. Peter is the first to look at the doorway and notices Tony, mask down, in a full Iron Man suit. He blinks owlishly, girlfriend still wrapped around him before his eyes blow wide with realization and he’s trying to jump off the bed. The only problem with that is the aforementioned girlfriend still holding his middle, who is now being jostled awake to the point where she rolls to the other side of the bed and falls promptly back to sleep.

 

“Mr. Stark! What are you doing?!” Peter is now stuck with a foot caught in his blanket, and in any other time, Tony would find this  _ very _ amusing. 

 

“Pretty sure I’m the one asking questions here, kid,” he points to the peaceful MJ sleeping away as if nothing different has gone on in the last five minutes, “ _ who _ is  _ that?”  _

 

Peter looks over his shoulder, like he actually would have no idea what Tony was talking about, “Erm, that’s MJ?” he looks back at his exasperated mentor, who is  _ this  _ close to popping some ibuprofen and calling it a day. 

 

“Scary Spice?”

 

Peter tries to glare, but must realize now is not the time to be pulling that with Tony, “Yup,”

 

“You were just full out feeling her up, when your aunt isn’t home,”

 

Peter squawks, “I was  _ not _ ! We were  _ asleep _ , Mr. Stark! Literally the furthest away from pulling moves on my girlfriend at that point!” 

 

Tony looks at Peter over his hand as he pinches the bridge of his nose, “Girlfriend?”

 

Peter still looks indignant but manages to nod happily, “Yeah, we started going out a few weeks ago. Close to a month, actually,”

 

Tony and Peter find themselves in a stare-off, as Tony peers at his kid and Peter waits for Tont say something. Literally, anything would be good at this point. Finally, after a full minute of neither of them blinking, MJ is the one to roll over and sleepily exclaim,

 

“If you two aren’t going to stop thinking so hard, you’re going to have to leave so I can continue sleeping,” she does, in fact, roll back over and pause before rolling over again to stare at them, hair mussed, “aren’t you two supposed to be sciencing right now?”

 

The men look at each other then back at MJ, Tony blinking in confusion. Peter finally nods, grabs his backpack and gestures Tony out the door, closing it behind him as he follows. 

 

“She’s right, we should have been sciencing. Sorry, is that why you came over? We had a danger nap, I swear I didn’t forget!” Peter is walking out his apartment door already, leaving a gaping Tony still in the hallway. By the time Peter is going down the first flight of stairs, Tony is rushing after him to catch up, Iron Man suit still on and forgotten. 

 

“Pete! Kid, what just happened? This is not the way I planned on meeting my kid’s first girlfriend, by the way!”


	10. Smooth Criminal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know this one is painfully short, but I'm trying to write myself back into this world now that I took a break from it. I also still haven't seen FFH, so don't expect this story to make sense with that movie. I'm looking for more prompts from people, so if you've got anything, I might have it be a full chapter or lump it in with another one. Lots of my own prompts have been lumped together...

 

The lights were really bright. His head was pounding as his Spidey-sense was going bonkers. Peter slammed his eyes shut again, groaning when something jostles his hair, making a sharp pain echo around in there. He  _ really _ didn’t want to be awake right now. Someone was talking to him now. Go away person who keeps fucking moving his pillow. 

 

“---eter!” That sounded familiar...who the heck was that? Come on brain, let’s go, time to figure this one out. We should be smarter than this, right?

 

“Loser, open your eyes,”

 

“Fri, lights down to 30%,” that’s another voice he feels like he knows. 

 

“Parker, if you don’t open your eyes again I’m going to pinch you right where Stark is tying up your stitches.” Huh, the pretty voice is kinda mean. There’s a snorting from further away, and Peter becomes a little more aware of his surroundings. Two people, both sound pretty familiar, and Fri? Who’s...Friday! Oh shit, Mr. Stark!

 

“M’ssr S’ark?” There’s a bunch of movement again and Peter can sense the person who had been by his feet move up to his side now. 

 

“Hey kid, you with us again?” Peter tries to nod, but his head is still pounding and he can’t move his head in the right direction. “Try to open your eyes kiddo, and we can start trying another dose of pain meds, alright?” Tony pauses as he goes back down to Peter’s feet, but Peter can still feel someone else beside him.

 

“Seriously Peter, open your eyes.” there’s the mean pretty voice again, that’s gotta be MJ. Peter peeks open his eyes into the much dimmer room and sees MJ sitting on a stool next to his bed. He squints up at her, noting the worried wrinkle between her eyes as she stares down at him. He finally realizes it’s been her poking at his head as she now pushes her hand through his mop of curls, giving him a tiny smile. “Hey there, Tiger.”

 

Peter can’t do much more than let the one side of his mouth lift up in a smile, “Hi, what’s up?”

 

Tony snorts from the end of the bed, “Synapses not firing as usual yet, Petey?”

 

MJ sighs, “I think you’re more awake in the mornings after staying up studying until three a.m.” she continues threading her fingers through his hair, which Peter decides is his new favourite feeling.

 

Tony makes a choking noise at the end of the bed, “I don’t wanna know about what you do in bed, Jones.” 

 

MJ rolls her eyes down at Peter, who is feeling lucid enough to smirk at them, and sneak a kiss to the tips of MJ’s fingers when Tony is looking down. “All right kid, you ready for the low down on your most recent stupidity?”

 

Peter frowns, looking down at Tony who seems to be threading something, “Uh, okay?” a tugging sensation on his leg threw him off, “what are you doing?” MJ tugs at his hair, making his head hit the flat hospital type pillow, “Ow, babe,”

 

“Sorry, just don’t want you straining yourself! Let’s just keep your eyes on me for a bit, yeah?” MJ grins at him cheesily, looking so fake she looks like she’s trying not to laugh at herself. Tony muffles his own laughter into his shoulder before he shakes it off and calms himself down.  

 

“Guys, what’s going on? Mr. Stark?” Peter must sound worried enough as Tony takes pity on him.

 

“Kinda what we were wondering, Underoos. Mind telling us why Michelle found you in the bottom of a dumpster covered in glass?” Tony crooks a brow at the kid while he finishes sterilizing another needle. Peter’s eyes grow wide at the instrument before MJ pushes his head down onto the pillow again, mumbling something about ‘told you to watch me’. “I’ve gotta say, getting a call from your normally cool-headed girlfriend in hysterics did nothing for my health.” 

 

MJ rolled her eyes at the older man, “I was not hysterical, I was a normal upset,”

 

Peter smirks up at her, trying very hard not to think about the stitches going into his leg at the moment, “For you, that’s practically hysterical MJ,” he receives a light slap to his shoulder which doesn’t actually hurt, so that must not be one of the spots he injured. Sweet.

 

“ _ Why _ were you in the garbage with glass, Peter?” MJ asks again, and Peter has to  _ really _ think about it before wincing into the bed. “Peter?”

 

“Uh… I  _ may _ have been fighting a bad guy and got thrown into a wall…” Neither Tony nor MJ looks very impressed with this, but Peter pushes on, “and I  _ may _ have quoted a certain vine when sliding down the wall, and was too busy laughing to notice said garbage can full of glass, and neglected to swing my way out by the time I hit the bottom, and must have uh, passed out?”

 

There’s silence in the room, MJ has stopped playing with his hair, and Tony has stopped sewing up his leg. Peter refuses to look away from the ceiling until MJ drops her head onto the bedside and Tony continues to stitch him up, shaking his head. All in a day’s work when you love the casualty that is Spider-Man.


	11. The Art Show/MJ meets Pepper

The end of Peter’s sophomore year resulted in a small get together at his and May’s apartment where MJ, Ned, and Pepper and Tony came over, had cake and just relaxed. It was also the perfect time for everyone to say good-bye to one another; Ned’s whole family was going to Hawaii for the whole summer, MJ was going to be in Paris for two weeks for a week-long internship she wouldn’t tell anyone more details about, and May was off to Chicago for a work convention. MJ and Ned said good-bye before Pepper and Tony showed up (Peter sneaking a kiss with MJ before Ned and May saw). May was happy to invite the adults over for some ‘big person conversation’ as she jokingly said. Especially since she then told Pepper and Tony she would be leaving Peter when she went to Chicago.

 

This left Peter all alone in the apartment, so Tony was quick to scoop him up. Tony promised May he would take care of Peter for the summer, both adults agreeing Peter could stay with him and Pepper up until the last week of summer, giving the boys lots of time to fiddle around in labs and build things to their heart's content. May made Peter promise to behave and take care of himself. Tony seemed a bit offended, so May switched to take care of each other. Tony seemed chuffed with this, while Pepper rolled her eyes and promised Peter’s aunt that she would take care of both of them. Only after this did May fully commit to this agreement. May sent Peter off to his room to pack, threatening to do it for him if he didn’t do it right the first time. Pepper watched in amusement as Peter scurried off in a hurry before May Parker spun to face her fiance with a ferocious stare. 

 

“You, mister, had better not let my nephew go off and get into anything too dangerous while I’m gone. I’ll tell him no Spider-Man at all if I have to, but since I’m giving you custody of him for the summer I expect you to also be the final say for when he can or cannot go off in the middle of the night. Capiche?” 

 

Pepper tucked her lips in to hide her grin when Tony straightened in his seat, “Capiche. Yes, ma’am.” 

 

“Good,” May nodded, but still looked a little leery about the whole thing. Pepper was very proud of Tony for leaning forward to console her, and not leave it as it was with a mother fearing to leave her child behind. 

 

“Non si metterà in pericolo, lo prometto May,” Tony murmured, gaining a bright shiny-eyed smile from May, who responded in kind,

 

“Grazie.”

 

Once Peter was back, May told him they were sending him off with Mr. Stark right away, that way she could get some peace and quiet while she packed for her own trip. Peter was very excited but also a little leery to be leaving May, especially when she was heading to another big city all on her own. 

 

May rolled her eyes at her nephew, “I’m a big girl, Peter, I’ve lived in New York my whole life, for goodness sakes. I’ve survived this long without my superpowered nephew following me around.” Peter blushed, stammering out a lie about not following her around, but everyone knew better. 

 

“All right, kiddo, you got everything? We’ll be at the compound for most of the summer, so we might not get a chance to head back here.” Tony warned as he and Pepper stood, the two women sharing a hug as Pepper went to wait by the door for the boys. Peter shot back into his room and emerged with another bag that Pepper didn’t even want to know what it was filled with, just assumed Tony would take care of it if it caught fire at home. 

 

Peter and May shared one more teary good-bye, with May much tearier than Peter, and a promise to call every week, the trio was off. Happy sat in a nondescript SUV at the base of the Parker’s apartment and shot off for the Tower as soon as everyone was buckled in. 

 

***

Pepper can’t say she was ever the type of person who would call herself ‘motherly’, but after a week of living with Peter Parker, she understood how even Tony Stark had crumbled beneath this teenager’s puppy-dog eyes. If only her mother could see her now, Pepper constantly thought as she made the kid some lunch, or moved something out of the way before he stumbled over it as he talked animatedly with Tony. She found herself with a lap full of gangly superhero when she and Tony were sitting watching a movie one night, and Peter stumbled into the living room bleary-eyed and yawning only to stumble into the couch face first, landing just close enough to him to slither (yes, as in he did not use his arms) close enough to lay his head on her leg. She looked over at Tony in astonishment but her fiance only smirked as he reached over to flatten the kid’s hair down from its unruly bed head curls. 

 

After the first two weeks of July, Pepper brought up to Tony that they were really going to have to get to the compound soon, otherwise, he was going to miss meetings, as was she. While Tony was not very ecstatic about the meetings he had to attend, he was very excited to show Peter around the compound properly this time. Pepper was the one to tell Peter to get ready for the trip upstate the next day, then sent Tony to remind him after three hours of no movement from the boy. Pepper has such respect for May. 

 

The trip up to the compound was much more lively than normal. Usually, Pepper has to put up with Tony’s music which she’s gotten so used to she barely hears it anymore, however, this time Tony’s music is sprinkled with new songs clearly picked by Peter. One such song change was what sparked the current debate happening in front of her. 

 

“Parker, you change back to my song this minute, or I’m kicking you out of the car. And I don’t like driving slowly.” Tony threatened from the driver’s seat, trying to swat at Peter’s hands still holding his phone. Peter was giggling to himself as he wiggled around, dancing as dramatically as possible while strapped to a seat. Pepper was pretty sure this song was relatively new, so Tony had no chance of knowing it.

 

“Underoos, turn off this Starbucks chick’s music right now. Let me educate you on proper music.” 

Peter started outright cackling, while Pepper couldn’t help a smirk as she kept her eyes down on the tablet in front of her, “When was the last time you turned on the radio, Mr. Stark? What’s the newest thing you’ve listened to?”

 

Tony sniffs, “When did Nirvana come out?”

 

Peter groans while Pepper giggles in the background, “Honey, Peter was born in ‘01. He might not even  _ know _ Nirvana.” Tony looks at her in the mirror with a look of horror while Peter continues singing about a god being a woman.

 

***

Pepper spends most of the first week there invested in her own work that she barely caught sight of the boys unless it was for a late night movie, where Peter was mostly asleep on Tony’s shoulder. It wasn’t until her meetings had run out and Tony was in his last one, that Pepper took this warm July evening to spend time with the kid her fiance was so invested in. 

 

“Hi Peter,” Pepper poked her head into the boy's room, startling him just a bit, but he met her with a large grin.

 

“Hi Pepper,” he closed the laptop he had been working on and unwrapped himself from the headphones he was using. Pepper grins inwardly at his use of her name, while Tony was still fighting tooth and nail to get him to say anything other than ‘Mr. Stark’. 

 

“I’m just about to start something for a late lunch, did you want to come help? We can watch movies after Tony’s back home?” Peter smiled widely and got up to follow her out to the main living area where there was a large industrial-sized kitchen. The pair bonded over being the ones who could cook, while their respective loved ones were kind of shit. Peter started a kid type salad that Pepper did not deter him from, she was too busy trying not to squish the boy’s cheeks at the adorable way he kept checking on her to make sure she didn’t need any more help than he was already giving her. 

 

“You help May cook too?” She asked after he peeked over her shoulder for the fourth time. Peter grins sheepishly, nodding as he goes to flip the vegetables. 

 

“If I don’t, we either don’t eat or I have to find the extinguisher.”

 

Pepper scoffs a laugh, “Sounds like someone else we know,” Peter joined her laughing, and Pepper had never felt so happy and warm. No wonder Tony fought so hard to keep this kid around, he could save the world with his innocent sweetness. They finished up their cooking and made up their own plates, leaving everything out for Tony who should have been finishing up in another five minutes. Peter asked Pepper politely if they could still eat their messy pasta on the couch, and Pepper felt herself melt a little bit as she told him of course. Peter still set himself upon the edge, nervous about making too big a mess on the white furniture. Pepper let him pick the movie, and wasn’t surprised at all when Star Wars showed up on the screen. 

 

They weren’t even past the beginning credits before Tony was shuffling into their penthouse, face tight in repressed anger and exhaustion. Pepper looked up, trying to gage how the meeting went. By the look of distaste he sent her, Pepper deemed that Ross was still being bull-headed. Peter didn’t seem to notice Tony’s exhaustion as the boy perked up and began telling Tony what they’d made for dinner. 

 

Tony smiled thinly at the boy as he eased himself back into the couch cushions, still in a full suit and shiny shoes. Peter didn’t seem to even notice as he moved over to Tony to sit closer to him. Pepper asks him if he wanted any food, and after he nods she decides to go and get him a plate so as not to bother Peter. By the time she gets back, Tony has shed his suit jacket and toed off his shoes, his feet are now propped on the table in front of them, with Peter curled into his side. Pepper smiles and brings the plate over, receiving a sweet kiss over Peter’s head as the boy stays enthralled with the movie. Yeah, she was really going to enjoy this summer. 

 

***

Pepper doesn’t see as much of Peter as Tony does, as the two are locked away in a lab for most of the day, but she finds she doesn’t mind too much. Peter is helping take care of Tony, giving her a lot of time to get things done without being interrupted. If there’s an occasional crash or a Spider-child running across the ceiling, she takes it in stride. She’s gotten more work done in this month than the last five. 

 

It’s the beginning of August when Pepper finds herself getting a little bored. Not having Tony coming up to her like a child when he builds a new toy (because now he had a real child to show toys to) gave Pepper a lot more time to look around the compound. Of course, she knew almost every square inch already, but she hadn’t been able to walk the grounds in a while. 

 

Especially the rest of the top floor.

 

Aside from Tony and herself (and occasionally Rhodey), the remaining areas and bedrooms on the floor were empty and forgotten, meant to have been housed by the Avengers. Pepper had never asked Tony what they could do with the rooms, as Tony had his own problems dealing with the Avengers and the Rogues. But now, walking between rooms, and tip toeing over the dusty carpets Pepper noted how uncolourful the space was. She had no idea of when or if the rooms would ever be inhabited by the people they were meant for, but Peter’s face suddenly drifts through her mind, and she imagines the boy stumbling across the sad space. It seems wrong to have the boy near such an unlived in space, and Pepper immediately decides to take this on as her new project. 

 

Making her way down to the lab, barefoot and in casual clothes, Pepper feels herself humming as she walks down the last few steps before she’s stood in front of the glass pane doors leading into the almost full-floor lab. She spots the boys in one corner nearest one of Tony’s older Iron Man suits, sitting disassembled and hunched over a workbench. Pepper opens the doors, immediately being blasted by Tony-esque music.

 

“Sound down, Friday, please,” Pepper asks, walking over to the two as the music shuts off, both curly brown heads popping up to stare at her.

 

“Hi Pep,” Tony greets with an easy smile and Peter gifts her a wide toothy grin. Pepper smiles back as she steps a bit closer before Tony gives her a bit of a wave, and she stops. Obviously, he knows better what’s on the floor, and she trusts him with her feet’s safety. 

 

“Hello you two, how’s it going down here?” Peter jumps into an explanation she can’t quite follow, but she’s happy to listen until he peters off, noticing both Tony and Pepper are watching him with smiles on their faces. Peter pauses and looks at Pepper a bit oddly, “You look shorter…”

 

The adults look at the kid then at each other and laugh, “Yes, my fiancee likes very tall, very expensive shoes Pete, but when she decides to come down to Earth with us normal-sized humans, she’s not  _ that _ much taller than me.” Tony smiles warmly at Pepper over his and Peter’s project, “You getting bored, hon?” 

 

Pepper sticks her tongue out, catching Peter covering his mouth to hide a smile, “A bit. Peter’s too good at keeping you busy. Usually, by now you’d have bothered me with something twelve times.” Tony sticks his tongue out at her back but flashes her a smile and a wink that she takes happily. 

 

“I was wondering if Peter wanted to come into the city with me? I have an errand I want to run. You can come too if you want Tony,” Pepper adds on, already knowing Tony will hate this errand. 

 

Tony does, in fact, look dubious, “What’s the errand?”

 

Pepper tries to look innocent, but Tony knows better, “I was just walking through the top floor and noticed it could use a few pieces to brighten the place up. I just thought I’d ask if Peter wanted to take a break with me.”

 

Tony screwed up his nose, well aware just how long Pepper could take looking at art, but he did allow Peter to make his own decision without mentioning just how long Pepper could do this for. Peter does in fact decide to join Pepper, making Pepper herself feel warm, knowing this boy has definitely gotten past his initial shyness around her.  

 

In an hour, Pepper is driving her convertible away from the compound, Peter relaxed next to her, and Ariana Grande blasting from the speakers again. Pepper had fished out a pair of Tony’s sunglasses from the glove compartment and handed them to the boy before they drove off, and she bites her tongue from cooing at the image he makes wearing them. He sort of looked like a mini Tony, but he was so oblivious to it, it made him even more adorable. The pair take turns choosing the songs, their tastes in music much closer than Peter and Tony’s, so they spend most of the ride into downtown New York singing to one another. 

 

Once Pepper drives into the city she notes a few people pointing after her car, so he begins to flip the roof back up when they stop at the next light, “Sorry sweetie, probably best we cover up now.”

 

Peter nods, but Pepper’s not sure he knows why, but she also decides now isn’t the time to explain how bad it might be to be seen driving around together. 

 

“So where are we headed, Miss Potts?” Peter asks as he tucks his phone back into his pocket. 

 

“There’s an art gallery I looked into from one of the nearby universities. I like to try and purchase up and coming artists rather than only barter for known or famous art pieces.”

 

Peter looks a little unsure, but Pepper pats the top of his hand, “Don’t worry, Mr. Parker, you just have to follow and tell me if you like the colors, just like Tony. I won’t expect too much from you,”

 

Peter grinned at her, “That’s good because I think most people who are scientifically inclined kinda suck at the prettiness factor of things.”

 

Pepper snorts in a very unladylike way, but hey, she and Peter are in casual mode, “I suppose. But aren’t you kinda dating an artist, young man?” Peter pretends to look out the window while Pepper grins at him.

 

Eventually, they pull up to a pretty boring looking building, but once they’re inside, Pete is a little blown away by the sheer amount of colour, and art surrounding them, “Sheesh, how can you even tell what’s what?”

 

“That’s kind of what I feel like when I look at something Tony’s built.” Peter chuckles and follows after her as she begins trailing through the different exhibits. After a couple minutes, Pepper is already asking Peter what he thinks of a few pieces. He stares at them for a second before asking Pepper what else is going to be in the room. Pepper beams at him and begins to describe a few of the rooms, walking him through a few things she’s trying to find, and what types of things to look for. By the time she’s finished, Peter looks a little glazed over but more excited now that he has a mission.  

 

It’s another half an hour before Pepper stops in front of an exhibit and Peter almost runs into her back, “Er, Pepper, did you wanna look at this one?” Pepper just nods and walks into the room, her eyes bright and a smile lifting the corner of her mouth. 

 

The paintings here are phenomenal. She and Peter had picked a few pieces out already, but these… Pepper was going to see if she could have the whole collection. And screw the other rooms of the compound, these were going to be in _ her _ rooms. Though she was well-versed in art in general, she was having trouble picking just one story these painting could be telling. There were some that reminded her of a Pollock, but the lines and motions were softer somehow, and seemed to be covering something underneath that would never be shown. Another was a gorgeous charcoal sketch of an African American woman with a dry brush stroke of bright sunshine yellow moving diagonally past her shoulders then across her face.  Another was some kind of flower study, but there was no place Pepper could even place where they would have come from and created a sense of peace in her mind immediately. 

 

“Oh Pete, these are... _ so pretty _ ,” she sighed and missed Peter giving her a soft look as he took her arm and led her to the rest, going around the room three times before Pepper decided her favourite was one that kind of reminded her of those kindergarten art projects where you cover a picture in black crayon and scratch it away to reveal the colour underneath. Only, this one was done in such think white line, she almost couldn’t tell they were scratches. They were so close together, the face the scratches made looked ethereal, like the little girl that was depicted was made of smoke. 

 

Peter stopped in front of this one with her, but was looking at it differently than she was, “That face looks really familiar,” 

 

“We have gone around a few times Peter,”

 

“No, I think I might know this person… somehow,” 

 

“Huh, maybe it’ll come to you later. Come on, I think we missed a little bit this way,” Pepper took Peter arm and dragged him over to a spot they had missed (somehow) in their last three laps around. It was a photography installation, but the photos had been distorted to make the people look like shadows and smokey shapes. They weren’t simply docked photos, the artist had drawn people into the photos. It intrigued Pepper, but it wasn’t her favorite, so she made to go back to the other pieces she wanted to get, but Peter stopped her. 

 

“Okay, I for sure know these people,”

 

Pepper steps back and looks closer at the people before she gasps, “That’s you!” 

 

Peter cocked his head to the side, “Uh huh,”

 

“And Ned?”

 

“Mmhm,”

 

“Isn’t that weird? Did you know these were here?” Pepper looked at Peter, a little concerned. However, the boy was now looking around the photos and not at them, trying to find something. Pepper saw him stop on the nameplate, and just stare. “What?”

 

“Hey loser,” a voice from behind them had Peter and Pepper spinning around. Pepper took in the girl behind them, noting the name badge sticker declaring her one of the showing artists. Peter got a big grin on his face before he launched forward to grab the very pretty dark-skinned girl in a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. 

 

“MJ, hi! Why didn’t you tell me about this? These are incredible!” Peter was very excited, and Pepper had to assume this must be the elusive Michelle Jones that had Peter so enthralled and Tony slightly terrified. 

 

“Because you kind of glaze over when I start talking about art, so I thought I’d save you the trouble,” MJ smirked at Pepper’s boy, but it was warm and care-free. Peter grinned and stepped back to smile over at Pepper.

 

“MJ, this is Pepper Potts. We’re out buying art for the compound,” Pepper took this moment to step closer and stick out a hand to the girl. She wouldn't mind hugging one of Peter’s friends, but Tony was always talking about the scary girlfriend his kid had. 

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Michelle, right?” 

 

MJ was looking at her with a sort of wide-eyed look that Pepper saw on Peter’s face occasionally when he was with Tony, “Um, MJ is fine Miss Potts. It’s nice to meet you too,”

 

“Pepper is fine MJ,” Pepper kindly finished the handshake before looking around by far her favorite exhibit, “your photographs are very good, was there anything else here yours?”

 

MJ looks a little embarrassed, something Peter is going to be sure to bring up at least once before she bans the topic, “Er, this whole exhibit is mine, actually.” 

 

Peter and Pepper stare at her in awe, before Peter breaks their shocked silence, “Oh, that one back there was Lainey. I knew I recognized the face, that makes so much more sense.” MJ smiles softly at her boyfriend, squeezing his hand. 

 

Pepper shakes herself out of the shock, “It’s  _ all you _ ?”

 

MJ blushes, “Um, yes, I had a large enough quantity the group I’m with decided to split mine into its own category.”

 

Pepper feels a little like she’s acting like Tony as she spins around on the spot, suddenly happy she decided to stick with casual clothes on her outing with Peter today, “MJ, honey, these are beautiful! How much were you charging for them?” 

 

MJ looks a little shell-shocked, but she managed to stutter out, “Uh, well, uh—” Peter is grinning at his girlfriend, dragging her over an inch to press a kiss into her hair. Pepper smiles at the cute couple, waiting for MJ to tell her her price. “I think I placed a hundred on a couple of them…”

 

Pepper stares at the younger girl, ignoring the way Peter is grinning at her, “That’s it? Bullshit, I’m paying  _ way _ more than that for them,” Pepper begins to head out to the lady waiting for them by the entrance, knowing very well that Pepper was going to be purchasing more. Pepper leaves behind a very still MJ and a snickering Peter.

 

MJ looks at Peter wide-eyed, “ _ Them _ ?!”

 

Peter grins, “I’m pretty sure you just made a very large sale to the future Mrs. Stark, MJ. Congratulations!”


	12. Peter and MJ share clothes/Pepper thinks they're the cutest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guys, the response I get from this story is crazy. Thank you everyone for your sweet comments, and replying with your favourite scenes. It's adorable and I feel all warm and squishy inside when someone tells me how much they love a particular sentence or scene :)
> 
> We're getting pretty close to the Endgame chapter (Which by the way is another monster chapter), and that's where things definitely go AU. So, prepare for that.
> 
> Enjoy!

MJ isn’t sure how it started, but she knew it began on one of their movie nights, where Ned was sprawled across all of the blankets leaving both her and Peter without a shield from the cold New York weather. Normally the three of them would be having their movie night at Peter’s place, or sometimes Ned’s but both had fallen through. Ned’s mom was hosting her card night with some ladies from work, and Peter’s Aunt May had a date. (“It’s not a date, MJ.” “What the hell do you call the thing she and Happy are doing then, loser?” “...We’re no longer discussing this.”). So, MJ had offered up her apartment. Now the problem that had arisen with Ned inconveniently falling asleep on every available human burrito wrapping, her non-thermo-regulating spider boyfriend was huddled against her, shivering uncontrollably. Normally in Peter’s apartment, Tony Stark had made him some kind of special super-heated blanket that he could turn on at odd times of the day and be none the wiser to the cold weather. At Ned’s, Mrs. Leeds was crazy about wrapping Peter up in blankets and sweaters whenever he looked the slightest bit chilly. However, at MJ’s apartment, they were home alone. Her mom was out at work, having switched to the night shift a couple of weeks ago. Her little sister was at a sleepover as her kindergarten classes didn’t meet on Friday’s. 

 

So MJ found herself at a bit of a loss. No blankets. No parent willing to pile them with sweaters. And no superhero blanket. And to top it all off, Peter wouldn’t leave her side, in case a sliver of cold air managed to sneak between them. 

 

MJ tried to nudge her elbow into Peter’s stomach, “Dude, I can go and grab my comforter from my bed,”

 

Peter made a whiny noise, nuzzling his frigid nose against her neck, “No, ‘s too cold!” MJ groaned, once again stuck underneath a cold clingy Spider-boy. 

 

“I have sweaters from my cousin still here somewhere, you’d probably fit them. He’s in high school now I think,” MJ trailed off, trying desperately to recall where her mom might have stashed Miles’ forgotten hoodies, “though he's even scrawnier than you…”

 

“I think I remember you saying he’s smaller than you…”

 

MJ thought about it and could also kind of recall that conversation, and decided that while Peter was lean, she was more bean pole, Miles was probably more chopstick. That did give her an idea though. 

 

“Ok loser, on the count of three, you’re going to let go for one minute.” Peter looked at her with such sad puppy eyes, MJ almost said ‘fuck it’ and let the boy cuddle her until they both died of hypothermia. But, it was time for MJ to be the hero, and damn it, she was going to succeed in her mission. “Don’t look at me like that, Parker. This is serious go time, on three; one...two...three!” Okay, so Peter didn’t let go immediately, but her tone got the desired effect. Peter removed his arms from around her waist, his hand from her back pocket (also, when the hell did that happen?), and leaned away from her. The small whimper he let out from the cool air had MJ leaning forward, whipping her one-size-too-big hoodie over her head, turning to her boyfriend and stuffing it over his head. Peter’s boyish curls popped out covering his face, which just looked very confused when she brushed them out of his eyes before continuing to shove the hoodie, almost aggressively, over the rest of his body. At this point, Peter seemed to understand what was happening and poked his arms through on his own. Once she was done, MJ sat back into the couch and turned her body enough to be able to wrap her arms around him this time, tucking his hands between them, and pulling the collar of the hoodie up around his neck. 

 

Peter still looked confused, but his cheeks were getting red, and MJ took that as him growing warmer. She cuddled into him more, well aware she was only letting herself do so because Ned was truly dead to the world. Peter allowed her to get comfy before wrapping himself around her once more, sighing happily. 

 

And so began the great clothes swap of 2019. Peter ended up taking the hoodie home with him, and ‘forgetting’ to bring it back the next day at school. MJ didn’t mind too much; she did, however, retaliate (accidentally) by needing to borrow Peter’s spare gym shirt when Flash idiotically spilled a slushie down the back of hers. Unluckily for her, his spare was just a nerdy t-shirt that had a picture of a cat holding a bone saying ‘I find this humerus’. MJ refused to show Peter that she found it amusing. She did not give it back. 

 

Next time, Peter ended up taking one of MJ’s denim jackets. They were at some walk that MJ had been talking about, Peter just happy to protest whatever MJ believed in. She had worn one of her favorite distressed denim jackets because there were already a bunch of pins all over it and wanted to add her new on from this protest. Unfortunately, she wasn’t prepared for the balmy ninety-degree heat and ended up taking off the jacket and rolling up the short sleeves of her shirt. Peter had held the jacket until he became cold (stupid spideriness) and put it on. After their day, MJ forgot to take the jacket back and ended up not bothering to take it from Peter when he showed up wearing it to school the next day. Later that day, MJ stole a pair of sweatpants from him to cover her ripped up jeans when a teacher came to reprimand her (she didn’t change until she had ranted about having to change because of a hole in the thigh of her jeans when some girls had their midriffs showing). 

 

Peter stole a pair of her socks one evening when they were alone in her apartment. MJ chased him around the apartment trying to steal the Spider-Man mask in retaliation. Eventually, they had a truce and MJ picked out the brightest, most patterned socks she could find, and Peter allowed her half an hour talking to Karen. 

 

By the time Peter had MJ over to visit at the Tower, the two had most of each other’s wardrobe in their own closets. MJ regularly wore Peter’s sweatshirts and occasionally his shoes, while Peter stole almost every single one of MJ’s jackets. MJ knew he must have one of her shirts as well, but at this point, she couldn't tell what was hers and what was his. So MJ didn’t even notice she was wearing a pair of Peter’s joggers when she met Pepper Potts again (and proceeded to fangirl, but that’s not important, shut up Parker) at the Tower for dinner. 

 

After a fun evening of hanging out with his girlfriend, his dad/mentor, and his fiancee, Peter snuck a kiss with MJ in the elevator as she went outside to catch a ride with Happy. Peter was going to be staying at the Tower for the weekend, so made his way back up to the penthouse to chill out with Tony and Pepper until bedtime. Feeling still warm and cozy from a nice evening with his girlfriend, Peter walked out of the elevator relaxed and happy. He was not expecting a grinning Pepper sitting up very professionally on the couch with a groaning Tony Stark slumped on the couch next to her, hand over his face like he was just recently embarrassed. 

 

“Um, hi?” Peter says, very unsure of the new dynamic happening. Pepper returns the greeting, while Tony peeks at Peter, goes a little white and covers his eyes once more. “Something happen?”

 

“No no, course not. Tony and I were just saying how lovely Michelle is.” Pepper smiles, her pearly whites set in a very strong magazine-ready smile. Peter looks at her dubiously, then to Tony who is still covering his eyes. 

 

“Did she, like, scare Mr. Stark? Cause I know she’s scary, but I thought that went pretty well?” Tony makes a snorting noise but still can’t seem to make eye contact with Peter.

 

Pepper’s smile only widens, “No, I think I might have scarred him a bit, but it’s his own fault for having too active an imagination.” Peter looks at her with a frown, trying not to let on how confused he is. Did they not actually like MJ? Because that would be a bit devastating if he was honest with himself. 

“I really liked MJ’s outfit actually, her pants looked  _ really _ comfortable,” Pepper mentioned as Peter turned to go into the kitchen. Peter paused long enough to shoot a  _ very  _ confused look at the couch that held the two adults but mumbled an agreement with Pepper. “Do you know where she got them? I was thinking they’d be nice for weekend hangouts with your aunt.”

 

“I can ask her I guess? If you’d like?” Peter asks, filling a glass up with mango juice and taking it back into the living space. 

 

Pepper hums her agreement, poking Tony in the side a bit. The inventor barely shifts, looking up to the ceiling in a vain attempt to project his astral form out of his body in order to avoid the conversation Pepper is cruelly dancing around. Poor Peter is just becoming more confused by the second. “I think I may have seen you wearing something like them before come to think of it. Actually, there was a small little burn mark on the side I could swear you got from Dum-E a few months ago.”

 

Now Peter, knowing full well what was happening, couldn’t help the juice from spraying out of his mouth. Tony jerked, while Pepper was still grinning like a buffoon, sitting up straight as a pin on the couch. Peter looked at Tony who was still looking at the ceiling and looked a little green now. Peter looked from him to Pepper and back again before a little grin made it to his face. He looked to Pepper to make sure and received a shark-like grin in return. 

 

“Huh, yeah, maybe they  _ were _ mine. Must have got them mixed up.” Peter says as casually as he can, trying to use any small amount of acting skill he may possess. Tony shifts in his seat, his shoulders hunching. “MJ and I have been known to show up wearing each other’s shirts and jackets all the time.”

 

Tony looked like he wanted to die while Pepper was grinning like a loon, “That’s fun, is that where you got that jacket you were wearing last weekend?”

 

Peter grinned at her before schooling his features, “Yeah, I was over at MJ’s and needed another layer, you know, since mine got wrecked when we—”

 

Tony very suddenly burst up from his spot on the couch, taking a few pacing steps round the couch Pepper was still sitting on, trying very hard not to let a few giggles out. Peter watched his mentor with puppy-dog eyes, waiting for the explosion Tony was building up to. Eventually, however, Tony seemed to give up. He looked Peter straight in the eye, pointed and said,

 

“No Spider-babies until you’re graduated.” and he marched off towards the bedrooms, mumbling under his breath, still loud enough for Peter to hear him say something about ‘randy teens’ and ‘ _ my  _ spider-baby having spider-babies’ ‘ _ not _ allowed’, before he disappeared into his and Pepper’s room with a slammed door. 

 

Pepper and Peter made eye contact before bursting into giggles and falling onto the floor. Eventually, Pepper took a moment to breathe and look over at a tear-stained Peter, “Do you guys just wear each other’s clothes? That’s so cute.”

 

“We just kinda grab things from each other or borrow without returning. I’m pretty sure we kinda share one big closet now.”

 

“Gods, you two are the  _ cutest _ .” 


	13. Peter Parker is lost...and found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Endgame Chapter! AU from regular Endgame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where shit gets different guys. I'm not really 'fixing' Endgame since I don't have enough brainpower to fix that massive fuck up, but it's for sure not so tragic. Time travel still happens, Tony won't die, and the dusted people aren't gone for five years.... cause that's a terrible amount of years. It's stupid. So, here they're gone for six months.
> 
> This is the tenth chapter I wrote for this story, so I've been waiting for it to be posted, but also had some MJ/Peter moments that I wanted to happen before the Endgame. I'm excited to share the next ones now that this is out!
> 
> (Also, holy crap, am I excited for friendly siblings Natasha/Tony)
> 
> (Also, also, I've only seen the movie once, and wrote this mostly right after seeing the movie, so I'm sorry if there are any inconsistencies)

It had been two months since Titan, and Tony was no closer to finding a solution to the Snap than he was last month. The Avengers, or what remained of them, were all at the compound still together as many of them didn’t have homes to go to after being on the run before the showdown. Pepper had stayed close after Tony returned from his (terrifying) vacation in space. She was very insistent on staying exactly where he was, no matter how many times he told her he was camping out in his lab until something could be done, Pepper had fought back with ‘What else is new?’. 

 

Tony knew he didn’t have to stay in the lab. Actually, he most likely could think better if he  _ wasn’t  _ sequestered in a basement-esque lab that had seen better days, but he was more afraid of having to talk to his old teammates than being denied sunlight. Pepper would in some cases leave the lab to get him something from another lab that was a little too close to another Avenger for comfort. Most times though, Pepper would force him to stand up and get his own things, mostly to ensure his legs were still working. Otherwise, the couple kept to themselves more than they ever have, staying in the lower levels of the compound and those in company. Rhodey, Happy and Nebula (though she only stayed for a week before deciding to stay on the ship with the raccoon) were the only ones Tony allowed into the level with them, mostly because Pepper seemed to become sick of being stuck with only Tony for twenty-four hours every day,  and he felt bad for being insecure enough to force his fiancee to hide with him. Not that Pepper would ever let him force her to do something. Still, visitors were nice occasionally.

 

Unfortunately, today seemed to be the day someone else was also getting sick of Tony’s dungeon dwelling. Pepper was currently in the other room, trying to get some work done for SI. The company was only holding on because of Pepper’s iron will and constant emailing with their investors (at least those that were still here). Tony was slumped over a table that had been lit up with holograms of his latest idea for the nanotech for his suit, which now held a few different types of scans. Tony had only tried working on the Spider-Man suit for a few minutes before he had to stop, his forehead meeting the glass top when he felt too overwhelmed. Not even a minute after he decided to just use this very greasy table as his bed for the day, a knocking on the outer glass walls echoed through the lab. 

 

Head whipping around, Tony glared out at the usually empty hallway, seeing a backlit person standing by the lab entrance. “Fri, lights on in the hall please, dear,” Friday did as told without a sarcastic quip which Tony thought was probably her way of disagreeing with  _ something _ , but he didn’t have time to figure out his AI’s newest mood. Natasha Romanoff was standing at his door.

 

Both stared at one another, neither moving or saying anything. Friday very helpfully flashed the light next to the door that connected the lock, making Tony roll his eyes and break off the staring contest he definitely would have won. “Ok, you win, let her in.” The door snicked open, and Natasha entered calmly, holding two steaming mugs. Once she reached a companionable distance from Tony, she placed one down on his worktable, sliding it forward a few inches and leaving it to steam in the space between them. Tony refused to glance at it or her, deciding instead to close the specs for the Spider-Man suit and pulling up the ones for his own again. Fiddling with a 3D holographic model of the arc chest piece, Tony waited. Natasha also waited but was obviously more willing to bend.

 

“Did you ever name that element?” Natasha very steadfastly watched Tony’s hands, not moving an inch when she saw him peek up at her.

 

Refusing to let her win by  _ not _ answering, Tony grumbled under his breath, “Badassium sounded pretty good, I thought,”

 

“Pepper disagreed, huh?” He could hear her smirk but again refused to chance a look at her face. Natasha had always been a slippery friend, but a friend none the less. Her disappearance with the rest of the Rogues had affected him differently. He’d known her for longer, shit, they had technically worked together before all this Avengers bullshit. Even Pepper liked Natasha and had regularly invited the woman on outings just to get away from the guys on the team. In a way, it felt right that she would be the first one to try and break the ice after two months of silent co-housing. 

 

“More like I never told anyone about it. As far as the rest of the world knows, Iron Man was never sick and dying of poison he was injecting into his own body.” Tony spun around on his swivel chair to face his old friend, barely glancing the worried wrinkle Natasha covered as quick as it came. “What did you want from me now, Miss Romanoff?”

 

Natasha took a moment to look him over, noting the very dark, deep bags under his eyes, and the sunken look his face still had from his space travel. The whole team, if they could even be classified as a team anymore, had agreed to leave Tony alone, especially after the added ordeal of starvation in space. It had been a week since Steve had begun asking after him, seeing if anyone had heard from him. Natasha was a bit ashamed to say she hadn’t even talked to Pepper since his return. So now she found herself making the man some coffee, adding exactly no cream or sugar, but stirring the blonde roast four times, keeping to the annoying order just the way he had told her to the first time they ever met. She wasn’t sure if he was seriously always that anal about his coffee, but she humoured him, mostly to see if he would ever notice when she did add something different. One time, it had been a single chocolate chip. She missed his reaction that time, so that one may have to be done once again, just to be sure. For science. Bruce would probably help.

 

“You look a bit better,” she finally said, though Tony didn’t seem to mind the extended silence. He sighed, and very suddenly looked his age. 

 

“What do you want, Tasha?” he said again, quieter this time, and Natasha’s posture slumped. Here was her friend.

 

“I want to apologize for leaving you the way I did. I know you were hurt, and not just physically. But the way I saw it, my family was fighting, and I wanted to ensure there was the least bit of collateral possible. I didn’t however, count on Steve,” she watched his face the whole time, and noted there was really only resigned exhaustion in his face, “so, I’m sorry. I missed you.”

 

Tony didn’t say anything, not for a long time. But Natasha had been in many situations before, and this wasn’t even the most uncomfortable place she’d had to be patient in before. So she stood, hip not even resting against Tony’s work table, and she waited. Her posture outwardly would look relaxed, but inside she was slowing her breathing, ensuring her body would not move any more than necessary. 

 

Tony, of course, broke first, “Christ, Nat, please breath like a normal human. I hate when you do that,” he reached over without further ado and snagged the coffee meant for him. Natasha didn’t  _ smirk _ , but she was happy. He’d called her Nat  _ and  _ Tasha. Only Clint had been allowed to call her that, but Tony being Tony with his large repertoire of nicknames had caught onto that one and refused to let go. 

 

“I know,” she grinned into her own coffee, sipping delicately as Tony took a much larger gulp. “Is Pepper here too?”

 

Tony nodded, waving behind him like that would miraculously show Natasha which of the five other doors his fiancee could be behind. “It’s her alone time, I’m banished to my area right now.”

Now Natasha grinned sharply, “How are you two expecting to get married and live together if she can’t handle being around you for a whole day?”

 

“I think it really only got to her yesterday. I’ve been a peach otherwise,”

 

Natasha hummed, looking around at the blueprints and specs on his table. She noted the folder he had closed as she entered labeled ‘Spider-Baby’, but felt she may still be on thin ice and didn’t ask. 

 

For the next month, Tony still wouldn’t leave his lower level, but Nat was included in the guest list now as well as Rhodes and Happy (and Nebula, though she had expressly told Tony she would only visit when he decided to stop hiding underground). She didn’t use her new inclusion for evil, and refused to discuss anything with Steve about Tony, or tell Tony about Steve. They were big boys, they could work this one out alone.

 

* * *

On month four (and two days, but who’s counting? Oh that’s right, Tony was) the doors to the lab were being beaten on once more. Tony looked up from his tablet while Pepper sighed and laid down her own on the table in front of her.

 

“Friday, let them in, please,” Tony gave her a glare that Pepper chose not to acknowledge as she stood to greet the guests to her knew dungeon home. She watched as the glass doors slid open to allow Bruce, Steve, and, shockingly, Clint. “Clint, we didn’t know you had arrived?” 

 

He nodded to Pepper, his eyes staying downcast. She tried to smile for them, but it came out flat and she eventually gave up, slumping back into her own spot of the couch next to Tony. Tony, meanwhile, was watching the three of them without moving.

 

“Hey Tony,” Bruce whispered, watching his friend. Tony looked at Bruce and did smile, as brief as it was. He had missed the scientist. He had apparently missed a  _ lot _ about the scientist, as the man was most definitely taller than the last time he’d seen him. As well as a lot more green. 

 

“Hey Brucie, fall in a radioactive puddle recently?” Pepper smacked at his shoulder, but Bruce was laughing. 

 

“Not quite. The big guy and I are coming to an agreement. Rather than fighting our way through this relationship, we’re kind of… co-living?”

 

Tony shrugs, “Sounds right. Looking good either way, buddy.” Bruce was smiling largely now, happy his friend did not seem upset or disgusted. Nat had told him to just visit, but Bruce had been unable to think Tony wouldn’t just send him away. He could have had a friend much sooner had he not been so shy.

 

The room was silent again until Pepper decided to break in, “Clint? Were—”

 

“I just wanted to come and say thank you for letting me come to stay here.” the man broke in first, still not looking up or around the room. Steve shifted back, looking decidedly uncomfortable. He was aware, and so was everyone else, that he had not said anything about coming to live at the compound. Pepper was too busy watching Clint to take notice of anyone else. She stood, walked over to the grieving man, and took him into her arms to try and hug him as hard as she was able. Tony watched, eyes soft, as his lovely fiancee tried to help the man who had lost his entire family. 

 

“It’s not a problem Clint, you belong here. No one is being kicked out of a house of mine,” she pointed backward, somehow managing to land exactly on Tony when there was no way she could see him, “and it  _ is _ my house too, don’t try to give me any percentage bullshit.”

 

Tony sputtered while the rest in the room chuckled at the familiar banter between the two. Tony couldn’t help himself any longer and made eye contact with Steve. The taller, older man froze but didn't look away as he gave his old friend a slow nod. Tony didn’t reciprocate but didn’t say anything either, and Steve took that as a win.  _ Merry Christmas to me _ , he thought. 

 

* * *

Month five rolled around, and Tony was feeling particularly saddened. It was January. And May’s birthday was next week. The kid had been so excited to plan something for his aunt, and now Tony was left staring at plans made by and for people who were gone. 

 

Natasha strolled into the lab, two coffee mugs in hand. Very deliberately she placed the white mug next to Tony’s arm before leaning back onto the counter to face the same screens as him. “How’s it going?”

 

“Haven’t gotten any closer than I was last month,” Tony grumbles into his folded arms, ignoring the hot coffee. He didn’t deserve it anyway. 

 

“Need to bounce ideas off anyone?” Natasha tries to jostle him, but the man was truly emulating his moniker, as stiff as iron on his seat. “You thought you were onto something yesterday though?”

 

“I’ve thought I’ve been onto something every day for the past five months, but I’m no closer to finding anything, Tasha! So, if it’s quite alright with you, I'm taking a break today.” Tony stood up from the desk quickly, avoiding Natasha completely. She watched him move about the room, watching him with a keen eye as she took note of every minute detail in his person today. Yesterday really had been better, the man had been practically jumping around the room, purposefully knocking into Bruce whenever he could. Pepper told her in confidence that she’s pretty sure Tony is trying to see if Bruce is still in control as a Half-Hulk. Probably because he’s a child, and likes to poke Bruce like he’s a bear. The day had been an almost happy one; Clint and Steve were training in a room, Nebula had decided to visit Tony and Pepper for an hour, Rocket hadn’t taken anything apart recently, and Rhodey had dropped by for a visit. Natasha thought she even heard from Bruce that Thor was going to try to visit, but was still trying to settle the Asgardian people in Norway. 

 

Natasha had felt like smiling. Things almost seemed normal again, with the exception of the people they were missing, but she felt like her family was knitting itself back together slowly but surely. But then Pepper had opened a calendar for some type of SI business, and Tony had taken one look and shut down. The man had practically crawled back into his shell, hidden underneath his workbench and became enthralled in suit specs. No one, aside from Pepper could understand what had happened but had left the two alone again. 

 

“Something happened yesterday Tony. What were you thinking about?” she asked softly, watching her friend for any sign of how she could help. Tony peeked up at her, his eyes briefly flickering to a calendar he also had displayed in one of the layered holograms. Natasha took it upon herself to flick through all the layers of arc reactor prints, contracts sent from Pepper and Si, even a few text messages he had sent to Happy (looking like he was trying to piss the guy off, but what else is new?); until she found it.

 

“Who’s Peter?” 

 

It was like she’d stuck a cow prod into his back. Tony jolted up from his seat, eyes blown wide and looking at Natasha accusingly. 

 

“Don’t,” he whispered, and Natasha tried not to, but she also knew she needed to help. She watched him, with eyes blown wide and slightly panicked breathing.

 

“You said to Steve, when you and Nebula landed, that you’d lost ‘the kid’. Is Peter the kid?” Natasha tried to be gentle but knew if she was not upfront with him, Tony would try to shrug off the question and they would be back to square one. 

 

Amazingly, Tony looked close to crying, “Yeah,” he choked out, and actually  _ did _ cry. Natasha took half a second to cross over to him and pull him close, letting the man made of iron break in the comfort of a friend’s arms. She felt a little bad about the mint chocolate patty she’d slipped into his mug.

 

* * *

 

Later that day, Tony told the rest of the team about his kid. They were shocked that Tony had developed such a parental relationship with this kid, but sad to see a light missing from their old friend’s eyes. Tony’s stories about Peter gave everyone a chance to talk about the people they lost, creating a space where everyone told stories and began to laugh again.

 

* * *

 

It’s the beginning of month six that Pepper actually  _ won’t _ let Tony leave the workshop. He’d recently been spending more of his downtime in the communal area, either talking or just sitting and resting his eyes. Pepper was very happy he was getting better. He was looking more like himself again, healthier and livelier. While she was very aware of the loss he was feeling, she was also hoping he felt well enough to hear her out. 

 

“I’m confused hon, you’ve spent the last seven weeks dragging me upstairs, and now I’m being locked up down here…” Tony spun around, a smile on his face while he teased her, but Pepper knew him well enough to also see the confusion in the way his eyes crinkled around the corners. Pepper took a second to just look at her fiance, and see just how much she still loved this man through all the things they’d gone through. 

 

“I didn’t want everyone privy to this particular conversation, Tony.” Pepper sat down on one of the couches, patting the sofa trying to get Tony to sit with her. 

 

Tony perked up, wagging his brows at her, “I’m liking the sound of this, Miss Potts,”

 

Pepper rolls her eyes, still unable to stop smiling, “I’m sure you do, Mr. Stark, but I actually had another topic in mind,” Tony still smiles at her lewdly, but sits with her, taking her hand in his to place a quick kiss on her palm. Pepper really can’t stop smiling, her chest feeling tight with happiness. 

 

“What’re you thinking about, dearest love of my life?” Tony asked quietly, not interrupting her thoughts, but pulling her back to the present. Pepper took his other hand, placing her own kiss there and making him smile as well. She felt light and happier than she had in a very long time. She knew Tony was sad, possibly even depressed at this point from losing Peter, but this was the happiest both of them had been since. 

 

“I’m thinking,” she decides looking down is much better for her to try to contain her happiness, “about us having another dearest love in our lives.”

 

Tony squinted at her, “I have two theories for this, one that you’re not going to like at all if I say it out loud, and another that I’m  _ hoping _ is what you mean, though I’m not going to like ignore option entirely since one might be a bit fun for like, a night, but—”

 

“Tony!” Pepper pulled him back to the present and getting his attention again. He looked nervous and flustered, and maybe, perhaps, a bit excited. She smiled, his comments not putting a damper on her mood at all. If anything, his reaction was pretty close to what she was expecting, though talk of a threesome wasn’t quite what she thought would happen.

 

“Honey, I’m pregnant.”

* * *

 

The remaining of the sixth month is spent by furiously compiling any and all information Tony can find about Hank Pym’s prior research and development with the Quantum Realm. Scott Lang had also been permitted into Tony’s dungeon lab to help as much as he could. Mostly though, it was Tony late at night constantly going back and forth with Friday. Sometimes Bruce would join in, and a few times Natasha was there laying across a table no matter how many times Tony pushed her legs off, trying to make her fall. The woman was like a cat though.

 

Eventually, by the end of the month, Tony made a breakthrough. And a team was assembled. 

 

* * *

Miraculously, they all landed back in the compound, each team clutching one of the stones. Natasha threw hers at Bruce, who dove to grab it all while glaring at the woman, who flipped her half blonde-half red hair while Clint laughed. The boys all chuckled, just glad to be back.

 

“All right, Bruce, grab the raccoon and let’s get to work,” Tony was the first out of the room, a bounce in his step. Natasha smirked, following to a point and then veering off, in hopes of finding Pepper. 

 

No one noticed Nebula stay behind, looking down at the platform and towards its control panel. 

* * *

 

 

Everything was in chaos. Bruce had snapped his fingers what felt like seconds ago, but the compound was gone. The land was gone. Those who were gone were coming back. But so was Thanos.

 

At one point, Tony found himself being overtaken until a very familiar sounding  _ thwip _ came from his left. And then he saw him, still encased in the Iron Spider suit Tony had last seen him in on another planet, feeling like another lifetime. 

 

“Mr. Stark!” 

 

And Tony felt complete again, with every rambling word Peter was saying, his mask retracting as soon as he lands, but Tony can’t look away. The boy is over excited and possibly very scared, but Tony couldn’t be happier at this very moment. He’s worried and scared, his fiancee and unborn child are somewhere in the middle of this hell, but his kid is back and talking and breathing and  _ whole _ . 

 

Tony can’t stop himself— he pulls Peter Parker into a tight hug, feels the boy's arms come around him as well as the boy breathes out a soft, “This is nice,” and relaxes into the man’s arms. Not allowing himself to overthink things, Tony presses a kiss to the side of Peter’s face, ignoring the stench of dust and blood in order to revel in this small moment of peace.

 

* * *

 

“And I. Am. Iron Man.” 

 

Whatever happened next, Tony would never know. 

 

Well… he’d receive bits and pieces of information, but the only Avengers that were close enough to him and Thanos were either incapacitated or too far away to get any closer. But, it was still Peter who reached Tony first, the boy scared to touch the man he looked up to, but unable to stop himself from crying and apologizing to the man as he touched his uncharred arm. Pepper and Rhodey were here now, and Peter vaguely noticed Bruce and Steve rushing towards them. Doctor Strange was already there, picking at the remaining make-shift gauntlet fused to Tony’s hand to collect the green stone (Peter had no idea which one that was, but at the moment he really didn’t care). Rhodey was pulling Pepper back for the good Doctor to get closer to Tony. Pepper grabbed Peter’s elbow to pull the boy back as well. And as much as he didn’t want to move, Peter was aware that Pepper was complying, so he had no reason not to as well. Doctor Strange did some very complicated looking hand movements, and Tony was encapsulated in green. Peter didn’t really follow what was happening, but Pepper was nodding and saying something about traveling back to New York. 

 

It was hours later, and Peter was sitting on a couch in Tony and Pepper’s floor in Stark Tower. The entire building was acting as an Avenger’s hospital, with every available Stark Tower medic or person with first aid knowledge helping everyone. Peter had been checked after he was told that Pepper had been checked. Rhodey had stayed close by, chuckling at the disgruntled but resigned face Pepper pulled when the young boy had literally jumped onto the ceiling to avoid assistance until Pepper agreed to be checked over first. Coincidentally, this was also the first time Rhodey (and Peter) heard about Pepper expecting. 

 

And now, Peter was sitting on a couch, the Iron Spider and his regular suit bundled on a table somewhere in the building, and him lounging in a pair of sweats and sweatshirt. Rhodey has offered him Friday to call anyone he wanted (though he doesn’t think it’s polite to tell Rhodey he already knows how to use Friday), and he hadn’t hesitated to call his Aunt May. After a very emotional and confusing video call (May had also disappeared, not that either of them would have known), Peter had called Ned too. Both boys were very clearly crying, but very happy to see one another. Peter hung up with Ned and hesitated to take a breath before calling MJ too. The girl picked up, her hair loose and insanely curly, framing her soot-covered face.

 

“Peter?” she answered, eyes roving over his face and looking perfect to him.

 

“Michelle,” Peter sighed, slumping into his spot, feeling like now all the pressure released from his body as soon as he had seen all his loved ones. “Where are you? Are you hurt?”

 

She was already shaking her head, eyes taking him in as well, “I’m at home, we had been sent home after that thing showed up in the sky. My mom and sister are here too… Lainey is a bit bigger…” she looked so confused but so relieved.

 

“Yeah, um, from what I know, it’s been a few months since everything. I’m not exactly sure yet, but I’m still waiting…”

 

MJ frowned, noticing how scuffed up and bloody Peter still looked, “Peter, what’s happened?” 

 

So, he told her.


	14. MJ paints Peter's nails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers conference after the Snap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lordy, I'm sorry I disappeared for a bit. I lost some of my writing mojo and started university last week. So I don't think there will really be many updates for a while, but you never know. I didn't even had time to do this one really :)

Much to Peter’s despair, Pepper had called him an hour ago to break the news of the impending press conference before he found out about it online. Peter had been confused when Pepper told him Happy would be by at seven the next morning to bring him into the Tower well before the reporters would come in, and to bring his suit. When he’d told this to MJ, his girlfriend had rolled her eyes and blandly told him he was technically an Avenger and would have to be part of the conference. 

 

“If those aliens from space are there, then I’m pretty sure the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is expected too.” 

So Peter found himself pacing his apartment at three in the morning, well aware there were only four hours until Happy would be parked outside ready to take him to the conference. May had gone to bed before midnight, and MJ who had decided to stay over for the night had finally ditched him to his pacing a couple of hours ago. Peter was now left with his thoughts, which was never a good thing, and he would usually go for a swing around the city to calm himself down. But, he also knew that Tony and Pepper would kill him if he showed up to a press conference with a bullet wound or something. 

 

He finally collapsed onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling as his foot kept tapping the hardwood, his body still needing to release the pent up energy. The tapping noise is also what roused MJ from his room, hair piled on her head, oversized shirt and a pair of his boxers on, and her regular glare looking a little more tired. 

 

Peter stilled his body, frozen in the glare from his girlfriend, “Uh, sorry if I woke you up.”

 

“I haven’t slept yet,” MJ grumbles as she steps up onto the couch and drops herself onto his lap. Peter just barely catches her and braces himself to take on her weight, only letting out a small ‘oof’. “I was expecting you to come and join me.”

 

Peter grimaces and looks back up at the ceiling, “Sorry, I didn’t want to keep you up with my fidgeting.”

 

MJ hums, “Still kept me up, and now you’re keyed up.” in a display of affection peter knows would never happen anywhere but in the darkness of night, MJ leans into his chest, nuzzling her nose into the base of his throat. “You think you can nap for an hour at least?”

 

Peter just sighs and shakes his head, “I’m freaking out M, I’m not good with public speaking and I’m literally going to be on stage in front of the world tomorrow.”

 

MJ sighs, her breath skittering across his skin, making him suppress a shudder, “You probably won’t have to say a thing, Pete.”

“Knowing my luck, I’m gonna be handed a freaking microphone.”

 

A snort is all he receives before MJ is pulling herself up. Peter grabs her hand, looking up at her with a pout, “Are you leaving?”

 

“I’ll be right back loser, I’m gonna grab something to help you take her mind off of this thing and get some sleep.”

 

Peter reluctantly let go and watched her move to her bag sitting just inside the door of his bedroom with a pout, perking up visibly when she came back and took up the same position from before. MJ rolls her eyes at him, but props her legs up and takes his hand in hers to splay across her thigh. Peter cocks his head to the side, confused and becoming baffled as MJ starts shaking something in her other hand.

 

“...What are we doing?”

 

“Painting your nails.” Peter stares at the side of MJ’s face as she bends over and uncaps the bottle of dark purple nail polish.

 

“Why?”

 

“I paint Lainey’s nails when she’s too hyper before bed or dinner to calm her down, and forgot to take the bottle out of my bag before I came over. You’re about as hyper as a four-year-old, so I thought we’d try it. Also, I want to paint your nails.”

 

Peter stared at her for a moment longer, before mentally shrugging and watching this girl in his lap do one of the girliest things he’s ever seen her do. And to her credit, the soothing motions and light touches along his fingers from MJ was causing his tense muscles to relax into a calmer state. After she finished the first hand she moved it over to her other thigh and grabbed the other to replace it before continuing to paint. Peter looked at the finished product on his one hand and grinned. Ok, cool colour. 

 

He reached up to move the piece of hair that had fallen in front of MJ’s eyes, but she batted him away, “Dry them first, or I’ll have to start over.”

 

Peter rolled his eyes but obligingly blew on his nails, hamming up the motion to make MJ scoff out a laugh at his impression, “You could totally be Elle Woods,”

 

“You’re damn right I could.”

* * *

 

The next day, Peter was nervously pacing back and forth in front of some similarly nervous Avengers, while a few who could keep their cool were watching him pace with varying degrees of amusement. His mask was already on, as Karen was continually coaching him on breathing patterns most likely to help him calm down, and ways to help think about something other than the impending conference. 

“Pete, seriously kid you gotta sit down before you wear yourself out.” Tony steps over to him and taking the kid by the shoulders, directed Peter down into the seat next to Natasha. The red-haired woman smiled at the nervous boy before she drapes her arm over his shoulders. 

 

“You know when I was a little girl, before all this, er,  _ shit _ happened,” Natasha grimaces, but she has Peter’s attention, “when I was getting ready for a ballet recital, I would count up to one hundred and back down again.”

 

Peter gives her a weird look that screws up his nose adorably, though Natasha’s not going to tell him that, “You did ballet?”

 

“Mhmm,” Natasha hums but doesn’t say anything further. Peter is also silent but begins to count slowly and under his breath. Natasha pauses him, “No, Маленький паук, in Russian.”

Now Peter looks at her like she has a screw loose, “I don’t know Russian, Nat. I’ve got Spanish and Italian under my belt, and I don't know if my stupid teenage brain can handle another language.” 

 

Tony perks up from his other side, breaking away from the conversation he had been having with Sam, “You know Italian?”

 

Peter grins up at the man, “Sì, in quale altro modo avrei potuto sapere cosa mi stava urlando May quando mi sono trovata nei guai?”

 

Tony’s grin only grows wider, “Oh, potrebbe essere divertente,”

 

Natasha rolls her eyes, pulling Peter into her side more with the arm still over his shoulders, “Я заставлю его говорить на моем явно превосходном языке, просто подожди.”

 

Tony rolls his eyes before sticking his tongue out down at the woman, who snaps her hand up so quickly, Tony yelps when he feels her fingers just barely pinch the tip of his tongue, “Черт возьми, ты хуже младшего брата,” he grumbles at her, purposely using Russian to make her laugh, which she does in the form of a small smile.

 

“Penso che entrambi sappiamo che sono come un fratello, Antonio,” Tony’s eyes soften at the woman and returns her smile, neither really paying attention to Peter’s happy but sort of confused smile between them. Pepper suddenly appears from the door south of the group looking her usually unruffled professional self that has Tony’s heart twinging. The only difference from her now than ten or even twenty years ago was the amazing, gorgeous round bump of her stomach that was cradling their baby. 

 

“Everyone ready?” Pepper asked of the group and got a few head nods or actual answers that sort of consisted of ‘yes’, “All right, I'm going to lead us in, then step back for anyone who wants to share their story. Remember that no one has to know anything you aren’t comfortable with, but that we need to tell the world what happened six months ago.”

 

This also got a resounding, ‘yes Pepper’ before everyone decided to move all at once. Happy was stationed by the door Pepper had stepped in from, and stepped over to the one across the hall that led out to the conference stage. Steve, ever the leader, went over first and after receiving a nod from Happy, went through the open door with Sam and Bucky on his wings. Natasha winks at Peter over her shoulder and goes through with Clint, with Scott and Hope trailing after them. Thor goes through with a clap to Bruce’s shoulder, barely moving the large green giant. Bruce goes through right after Thor with Rhodey gesturing Carol go before him. Carol smirks and winks at the man without anyone noticing aside from Pepper hiding a grin at the blush that goes over Rhodey’s cheeks as the woman moves through on her own. Rocket is grumbling to himself but pushes past Rhodey with Groot in tow before the man shakes himself out of it and follows as well. Star-Lord had decided to stay on their ship with Gamora, Drax and Mantis, but Nebula had been talked into joining the team by Tony, who had begged the woman that he was going to need his savior to join him in case he got mobbed. Peter thought Nebula might have taken the joke seriously as she was most definitely armed. 

 

Tony didn’t move to join the team yet. Instead, he wrapped his new prosthetic arm around her waist and pulled her in to lay a gentle kiss to her cheek. Pepper gave him a look Tony thought he was never going to see ever again just one month ago, and now could look forward to a lifetime of it (and hopefully a replica on their baby). Neither had to say anything to one another, as after years of doing these conferences and press junkets together, Tony only gave his fiancee another smile, and Pepper was giving him a kiss before walking to join the team through the door. By now, Tony could hear the small murmurings of the people in the room waiting to hear them tell the world how one team of super-powered people had managed to save the universe. 

 

Tony looked down at the kid —  _ His  _ kid— and smiled. Peter was looking up at him with his Spider-Man eyes contracting into a squint like expression, “Mr. Stark?”

 

“It’s Tony, kid. I  _ know _ you’ve said it before, no going back now,” Peter smiles, and the only way Tony can tell is the squinty way the eyes on the mask move, “the only way you can get out of calling me Tony is calling me—” Tony stops himself and grabs Peter’s shoulder, hugging the boy into his side, “Never mind, let’s go, huh?”

 

“Tony, what?” Peter is very confused but also now very concerned that he hasn’t been freaking out about what he was about to walk into, “oh, God, I can't do this!”

 

“Peter,” Tony stops by the door, the murmuring getting louder when Scott trips on the curtain causing it to swish open for a moment. Peter looks up to Tony and receives another warm smile right away, “you’re  _ my kid _ , and  _ my kid _ isn’t going to be forced to do anything you don’t want to. You don’t wanna speak? Ok, cool, I’ll talk for you. You really don’t want to go out there, fine, I’ll take the fall for you. But Peter, you’re the one who told me that Spider-Man’s whole m.o. is to protect the little guy. And I bet there are a whole lot of little guys and girls who look up to Spider-Man and want to see and hear that their favourite hero is alive and okay.”

 

Peter couldn’t look away from the older man and decided they were definitely there as he steps in closer and closes the man in a tight hug. Tony grunts at the sudden pressure, but collects the kid in his arms as well, and returns the tight hug. Peter doesn't even mind when Tonty hesitates to put his fingers through his hair before quickly switching hands to have his real hand on the back of his head and the metal one over his back. 

 

“You’re going to be a really good dad, Tony,” Peter mumbles into Tony’s shoulder. Tony smiles into Peter’s curls, hugging the boy tightly once more before releasing him and pushes him through the door.

 

“If you say so Pete,” he says, already knowing he must be doing something right if he’s got this kid still on his side. 

* * *

_ The video that takes over the world four hours later begins with the entire team of Avengers and some new unknown faces sitting on the stage surrounding the podium stationed at the front center. Voices are murmuring around whoever is live streaming, but no one is saying anything louder than a whisper. Suddenly, a very pregnant Pepper Potts walks onto the stage in her usual ‘I mean business’ manner, her shoes still making click-clacking noises as she positions herself near the podium. Still, no one speaks, and the person holding the phone can be heard asking the person next to them, “Where’s Stark, do you think?” at the same time a woman behind him goes, “I don’t know which I’m more shocked at; her being pregnant or her still wearing four-inch heels.” _

 

_ Then the room goes silent as Tony Stark is seen walking out, dressed so casually most people feel a little shocked before they note the man’s metal arm guiding a young man with a Spider-Man mask on onto the stage. It’s a little breathtaking, seeing the usual immaculate and poised Tony Stark in jeans and a t-shirt, with a metal prosthetic and burn scars covering most of the right side of his face. The silence in the room is deafening until someone begins to clap, and suddenly it is thunderous. People are suddenly standing and cheering as Tony sits heavily in a chair next to the man in the mask, keeping his arm drapped over the back of the chair. The cheering doesn’t look to shake the people on stage, but rather they join in on the cheering. Tony doesn't seem to realize it’s even for him, he’s so distracted talking into the ear of the masked vigilante.  _

 

_ Pepper steps forward and the room quiets, allowing her a silent audience to listen attentively. Clearing her throat, Pepper Potts almost seems nervous, which in turn, causes the room to suddenly feel uneasy.  _

 

_ “Hello, everyone, and thank you for being here for our story. Many people have reached out, trying to understand just what happened six months ago, and we’ve decided that waiting for our team to heal and understand ourselves just what happened, was imperative to then be able to share with the rest of the world. We are going to share the story of the Snap that happened, and why your loved ones and part of the world disappeared in clouds of dust, but I think it may also be important for the team to share the smaller parts of their stories; why they ended up here on this stage,” Pepper looks behind her at everyone, but all are staring straight ahead except for Steve, who bravely looks her in the eye and nods his head, “Steve? Would you start us off please?” Steve stands, straightening the dark blue dress shirt he’d worn over casual khaki’s, the most casual most people have ever seen Captain America. “We’ll be happy to answer any questions after stories, so long as they are respectful and in congruence with what is being told today.” Pepper finishes and backs off, going to take Steve’s empty seat. Bucky is quick to hold out a hand to help her ease her way down. Rhodey is just behind her and places a hand on her shoulder.  _

 

_ Steve steps up to the podium and swallows thickly before he looks up to a camera flash. He looks over at the sheepish photographer, and gives the young man a small smile, “It’s alright son, I expect we’re all expecting pictures today.” He takes another breath and suddenly straightens, reminding everyone just what legend is standing in front of them today. “I think, my story really is known by a lot of people. But I also know those stories were told by the people who made it out of the war, and most of the closest people to me didn’t make it.” _

 

_ And Steve goes on to tell the story of a weak, sick little kid, too young to enlist but scrappy enough to keep trying. He talks about his enlistment by Dr. Erksine, and the super-soldier serum he was injected with, and how it immediately changed his life. He talks about coming out if the ice seventy years after saying good-bye to the woman he loved, “Peggy Carter— I bet there are a lot of young girls who should know who she is, but missed her in their history books,” and about meeting SHIELD and eventually the Avengers. “I met the son of one of my good friends, and couldn't understand why he hated me so much. I realize now he was held to the standard of a super-soldier by his father, and that I was unfair to him and the image he was portraying.” Steve talks about the Avengers missions, and Sokovia, and even the ‘Civil War’ between their family.  _

 

_ “And we are a family, not just a team. We fight, we laugh, and we love one another. Our fights just usually end up being more shooty than most other families,” this gains him a laugh, but he continues seriously, “I regret fighting. But I think I would regret not trying even more. Thank you,” Steve steps back and allows a few questions before he sits down with a tired sigh.  _

 

_ The room is silent again and again between speakers, allowing Bucky and Sam to speak together after the Captain, and for Thor to stand and thank Earth for allowing the last of the Asgardians to take refuge on their planet. Scott and Hope stand, and announce their continued research into the multi-verse, briefly describing its properties and how it was imperative to returning people after the Snap. No one bothers to ask further questions on this as they know to be patient during these story tellings.  _

 

_ Natasha stands next, looking suddenly frail to her teammates. Peter moves to stand as well, but she waves him off and the boy sits back with a huff. Tony cracks the first smile since he’s sat down an hour ago. Natasha approaches the podium and straightens, suddenly looking as graceful and poised as a dancer. _

_ “I know most people think they have my story already after the file dump done to SHIELD a few years ago. What people don't know, is my life was not chosen but forced and brainwashed into me. I was abducted from my ballet recital when I was six years old and taken to be trained in the Red Room by the KGB. I’ve killed and I’ve murdered people, more people than I can really remember before I was even eighteen. I was ruthless, sterilized, and killed the people who ‘raised’ me, leaving me as the Last Balck Widow. I was targeted by SHIELD who deployed another agent on me to kill me. He made a different call.” Clint stands and goes to stand next to his best friend and partner. “While people may already know this about me, they don’t know that I love my family, and will do anything to keep them together. I’m a person, I’m a dancer, I’m an aunt, a friend, and a sister,” Natasha looks very quickly over her shoulder, and the camera catches Tony winking at the woman. “And I’d like to think I’ve bled my ledger dry.” Natasha steps back with Clint, who decides not to add anything himself. _

 

_ Carol goes next and describers her own trials, and her job now protecting not just Earth, but others in the universe. This prompts Rocket to come up amongst some gasps as he then climbs up the podium to basically say “You’re welcome for saving your butts, humies,” before taking Groot’s hand and leading the young tree into the back once more. Nebula refuses to speak, glaring at Tony when he tries to nudge her up, so Spider-Man decides it may as well be his turn.  _

 

_ “Um, hey everyone. I know I’ve always been a bit hidden and a little sneaky about my comings and goings around New York, but I still thought it would be good to come here and just, uh,” he looks back at Tony only to receive an encouraging smile, making a few women titter, “try to tell a bit of my story without outing myself, I guess. _

 

_ “When I was, well, let’s just say younger, I was bitten by a radioactive spider made by a seriously stupid, crazy guy. I woke up able to climb a wall, stick to things, hear the neighbor's heartbeats three floors down, and no longer had use for my glasses or inhaler. I didn’t want anything to do with these new powers and as a result, something bad happened to someone I love very much, and it happened because of me. So I became Spider-Man and decided to look out for the little guys; the people who might have been considered under the Anverger’s paygrade. And eventually, my actions caught the eye of Tony Stark.” _

_ Spider-Man briefly describes his actions during the Civil War, and then the continued help from Iron Man before he reaches the story of the fight against Thanos. The room became tense, ready for the biggest story to unfold. But Peter suddenly realized just how long he had been standing up and felt too shaky to continue. Tony stood at the same time as Natasha, who grabbed the boy’s arm and led him away, leaving Tony to watch them both sit down in his own vacated seat next to Spider-Man’s.  _

 

_ Tony looks out at the crowd and sighs. He steps up to the podium and leans in, giving the room a shadow of his usual media melting smile, “It’s been a while since I’ve been up here,” quite a few people laugh now, “I haven’t got any cue cards, thank god. We all know how well this would go if I did,” _

 

_ Taking a deep breath, Tony starts talking. He’s talking as fast as he does when he’s explaining some kind of new invention to Peter or DUM-E, a pace at which most people can’t understand. But everyone gets the same picture. The Avengers went to space. The Avengers fought an alien tyrant. The Avengers lost. The Avengers, or some of them, died or were lost. The Avengers did...something (Tony was silent on what exactly he did to retrieve these Infinity Stones), and the Avengers fought again. And they won.  _

 

_ The video ends with loud applause once again, this time aimed at the whole team as they each grab hold of someone’s hand next to them, share a hug, smile, and Tony presses a kiss to Pepper’s head and he hugs Spider-Man into his side.  _

* * *

 

Even after all the news about the Avengers story of saving the world, Twitter eventually became more obsessed with one particular aspect of Spider-Man’s new wardrobe.

 

_ #Spidey’sManicure _

_ #SpiderManpaintshisnails _

_ #WeStan(1)SpiderIcon _

 


	15. MJ's Hair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very fluffy bit! There be strong Spideychelle ahead!

Peter couldn't concentrate. They were already halfway through the 'Dust Test' as the students had begun to call it, and Peter was barely a page in. He basically only had two more hours to complete half a year's worth of material to test if he was able to move onto twelfth grade. And he was too distracted by his girlfriend's hair to focus on this  _ very _ important test. 

He's not sure how he missed the memo, especially since he and MJ talked or texted every day, but she had shown up to school this morning with braids trailing all over her shoulders. Peter had frozen when he saw her, barely managing a quick kiss to her cheek before they went into the gym for the test. She looked  _ gorgeous _ . Peter could see little bits of metal weaved into a few pieces, and a cuff around another. He was spending most of his allotted four hours playing 'find and seek' with the jewelry in MJ's hair.

 

Just then, MJ pauses her furious writing to flip the braids off her shoulder, causing the whole mass of them to swish until heavily resting against her back. Peter felt a shudder down his back and shook himself out of it, putting his nose so close to the page it was nearly touching it.  _ Focus Parker, if May finds out you flunked eleventh grade— actually, scratch that, MJ will kill you if she finds out you flunked because you can’t control yourself.  _ Peter furiously begins writing, forcing his face to stay nearly attached to the page the rest of the test. 

* * *

A few weeks later, Peter was sitting in the commons room with Ned when MJ's usual seat was taken up. Peter looked over to tell the random person off but was stunned into silence. Her hair was trailing down her back, as usual, but the braids had been replaced with long smooth curls. MJ sat down with a ‘sup losers’, and after only receiving an answer from Ned, looked over at Peter with a confused look.

 

“You okay, loser?” Peter was still gaping, and MJ’s face turned a bit red, “ _ Peter _ ?”

 

Peter snapped his eyes up to look into his girlfriend’s face, still feeling a little gobsmacked, “Huh?”

 

Ned snorted, while MJ rolled her eyes at him, “I said ‘hi’?”

 

Peter stumbled, “Oh, yup, h-hi MJ, Michelle, my girlfriend, holy shit, yup, hi—” thankfully he was cut off from his  _ very  _ embarrassing stammering by MJ leaning in to give him a quick kiss, effectively making his stammering so bad he was left gasping like a fish while Ned lost it in his seat across from his best friends. 

* * *

 Peter thought he was getting much better at not staring at MJ’s new hairstyle (...this time), however, he was definitely hitting strikes on stopping himself from _touching_ it. They were currently sitting in his and May’s living room with their summer homework spread on the couch and the tv on in the background. MJ was sitting up straight on the couch, while Peter had chosen to hang from the ceiling (‘Because it helps me think MJ!’). While this was true and Peter had, in fact, finished his homework ten minutes ago, it was not the best idea when it came to his new fascination with his girlfriend’s hair. He could smell it better from here, for crying out loud. Without thinking about it too much, Peter reached out and pulled a strand of curls, watching the soft ringlets bounce back and settle onto her shoulder once again. MJ turned to face Peter an amused smirk on her face. To his credit, Peter looked a little embarrassed but still grinned at her. 

“You’re a dork, you know that right?” 

 

Peter leans in and places a lingering kiss to her lips from his upside-down position, “I can’t help it, it’s like a pretty waterfall of hair.” MJ rolls her eyes but gives him another kiss before continuing to read. 

* * *

_ This is the one that kills me. _ Peter decided as he watched Happy open the car door to allow MJ to step out into the sunlight shining off the Avengers Tower. Her hair was sleek and shiny, not a single curl in sight. With curls, her hair would usually end just under her breasts (not that Peter was using that part of her as a measurement tool, it was just something he noticed...reminder to self, don’t mention this to MJ) but when it was straight like this, it went down to the dip in her back. Happy drove off, leaving the two in the front yard, Peter’s eyes still wide and trailing up and down MJ. Rolling her eyes, MJ places a kiss on the tip of his nose and walks past him towards a waiting and grinning Pepper Potts. Linking arms, the two women head to the Stark’s private floor for their waiting dinner. Tony is standing near where Pepper was but has to go and collect his teenager, as his was a little bit broken at the moment.

* * *

In June of 2020, Peter, MJ, and Ned officially were allowed to graduate to twelfth grade, as long as they were able to complete and hand in a full packet of homework that would allow them to complete the curriculum for the missed half a year for those dusted. This packet led the trio to meet every single day and working on everything together to ensure nothing was missed or incorrect. This packet also led to the trio pulling all-nighters at one another’s places, to the point where May begged Pepper and Tony to take the three in so they would at least have an AI to remind them to take breaks to sleep and eat. 

 

So now, their little study group was in the Tower, spread out on one of the guest floor’s living rooms. Every single couch (and there were five of them) was covered in an array of papers, sweaters, and chips. The floor was littered with garbage, socks, a pair of sweatpants (no one was even sure whose they were at this point), and one of MJ’s sketchbooks. The large square coffee table was the worst off, with piles of paper packets and empty coffee mugs, and takeout containers no one had bothered to throw out yet. 

 

They’d now been in the Tower for three days, and Peter wasn’t even sure when the last time he’d showered was. Ned had decided that morning that he couldn’t stand his own stink anymore and had showered and come back, angry at himself for ‘missing out of a fucking rain shower for two days of homework’. This exclamation had caused MJ to stand and go for a shower as well. When she’d come back, Peter had glanced up to give her a smile before looking back at his work but stuttered and double-taked back to Michelle. Her hair was still damp, but she had clearly done something to it to create  _ those curls _ . MJ had always kept her hair mostly natural aside from the new hairstyles this year, so Peter was used to the usual frizzy cute curls she would pile into a ponytail while at school. But this was way different. They were her natural curls, but they bounced around her face, and hit her shoulders and back all at the same time. They looked sleek and soft and made the caramel stripes in her hair stand out a lot more. 

 

MJ sat back on her chosen couch cushion next to Peter and began her work once again. Peter really couldn’t help himself and leaned in to try to get a kiss. MJ wrinkled her nose as soon as he was within sniffing distance and shooed him away to the shower. (Mr. Stark was only too happy to pull up Friday’s footage of Peter being cockblocked when Ned laughingly told the story over dinner that night.)

* * *

Peter’s  _ favorite _ MJ-hair was by far the long wavy curls she stepped into Midtown with on their first day of senior year. Sure, they were just like the smooth large curls she’s sported before, but this time… they were  _ red _ . MJ had dark red-brown hair. She walked over to where he was waiting by her locker for her, clearly not noticing all the looks she was getting over people’s shoulders. Peter, however, didn't miss a single one and made sure to glare at the young junior and freshmen who tried to sneak a look at his girlfriend. MJ wasn’t sure what had gotten into Peter that day but allowed the PDA when normally she wouldn't have. He seemed like he needed it. 

 

And sure, maybe Mr. Stark teased Peter about his mooning later that day, but Peter was quick to poke fun at Mr. Stark’s own jaw dropped look when his fiancee came out dressed in a form-fitting blue dress that accented her large baby bump and own bright red hair. Rhodey made sure to then laugh at both of the men for clearly having a type when it came to women. 

* * *

_ A couple of years later, after many moments of hardships, laughter, and hairstyles, Peter found out that as much as he loved his fiancee’s hair, he had finally found his favorite hairstyle on her. They were in their apartment at Stark Tower, where Friday was playing a movie quietly in the living room. Pepper and Tony had gone out for the night at some charity ball Peter hadn’t wanted to go to. MJ had only come home just last night anyways for the holidays, and he was only too happy to have a quiet night in with her. He especially didn't mind the extra company they had for the night either. Morgan Stark, one year and eleven months old, was snuggled into the couch with MJ’s body fencing her in so she wouldn’t fall off. Both girls were fast asleep with Morgan’s little body sort of half on and half off MJ’s chest. His fiancee's own arms were surrounding the baby girl while also subconsciously cupping the tiniest of bumps on her own stomach. Peter moved to kneel next to the couch, rubbing a hand over MJ’s side and over her hand, poking at the very new ring sitting on her finger before touching the hard part of her stomach.  _

 

_ Leaning over, Peter placed a kiss to his sister’s head before pushing some hair out of MJ’s face to kiss along her cheek and to her jaw. She shifted in her sleep but didn't move much, as if while sleeping she knew she couldn’t move while there was a baby next to her. Peter continued to leave kisses along her neck and shoulders until he felt her heartbeat quicken and knew she was waking up. He looked up and met her half-open bleary eyes with a grin that had her snuffling a sleepy snort. _

 

_ “Wha’ time?” She mumbled, too tired to formally ask Friday, so Peter looked at his watch and answered. _

 

_ “Two. You girls were having too much fun I didn’t want to spoil it. You want me to move her?” MJ shook her head, snuggling back into Morgan. The little girl, being a cuddle monster (definitely because of her dad) allowed the adult to hold her closer and sighed a little baby sigh in her sleep. Peter cooed at the cute noise, trailing a finger along Morgan's nose that he still thinks looked just like Pepper’s.  _

 

_ “We’ll stay here. Can you grab a blanket? And a hairband please?” Peter smiled and shook out the very fluffy blanket Pepper had on the end of the couch, tucking his girls into the couch. He then went into their room to grab a hairband and thought a scarf would be appreciated as well. When he came back, Mj was fast asleep once again, so Peter took it upon himself to finish the job.  _

 

_ After years of watching MJ’s hair being done, and making her teaching him how to braid, and then taking it upon himself to do Morgan's hair when Tony absolutely failed at it, Peter knew a fair few things about girl’s hair. He knew MJ liked sleeping with a pile of hair on her head when she was too warm or surrounded by a huge blanket, like now. He also knew that whatever hormones their baby was causing in her body had been making her want to rip her hair out in the morning when it was frizzy and dry. So Peter put the scarf in her hair as well, as MJ had been swearing it was the only way to wake up without ‘cotton-candy hair’ in the morning. He tied it like a pro at the top of her head and stepped back after placing another kiss to her neck. The sweet picture the two made gave his chest a twinge and the smile unable to leave his lips.  _

 

_ ‘Yeah,’ he thought to himself as he walked away to go to bed, ‘I think this is my favorite hairstyle.’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, that time jump at the end is more of a flash-forward, next chapter will pick up with a still pregnant Pepper Potts :)


	16. Morgan H. Stark

Being a senior was a strange feeling. Half of the class he was meant to graduate with graduated last spring as they were technically five months ahead after the Snap. This left his graduating class sparse but determined. It also left those who had to stay in their junior year a little salty and depressed, but the world had to make up for its blip somehow. 

 

Senior year was also a lot more relaxed with homework, which gave Peter and his friends a lot more free time. Free time in which Peter split between going to the lab with Mr. Stark, geeking out with Ned, supper with May, and hanging out with MJ. Oh. Yup. And Spider-Man. 

 

Which is exactly where he was now, but with Ned and MJ on a facetime call on the corner of his mask. Ned had fixed it so the two of them could see everything he was seeing, and were safely tucked up in Peter's room at May's apartment. MJ even had a bowl of popcorn resting between her and Ned above the blanket. As funny as it was, Peter was also very hungry and the constant crunch of popcorn was making him pouty. 

 

"I'm vetoing you guys having snacks next time we do this." 

 

Ned made an 'aww' noise while MJ smirked as she continued to crunch the popcorn then proceed to sip her Pepsi. It wasn't even that busy out today. Peter had managed to help two older ladies, rescue one (1) smol puppy™ , and give directions to a couple. He was making the decision to cut today's patrol short when a call waiting symbol appeared in his line of sight.

 

"Peter, Mr. Stark seems to be trying to get a hold of you,"

 

"Uh yeah, Karen, I figured that. Let him through," Peter swung up to the top of a light post, and perched there like a giant crow while Mr. Stark's face grew into a full screen. MJ and Ned's screen was minimal at the bottom.

 

"Heya Mr. Stark, was there something...Mr. Stark?" Peter trailed off when he took a closer look at his mentor. Mr. Stark's face was so pale, it looked like he’s been sucked dry by a vampire. Ned could be seen at the bottom of the screen bobbing his head around as if it would give him a better angle of Iron Man. 

 

“Hey kid, we’re uh,” Tony stops to look over his shoulder before looking back at his phone quickly, “we’re heading to the hospital…”

 

“WHAT!? Oh no, Mr. Stark, what happened? Do you need me there, is there something I can do? Who hurt you, do you need me to punch him? OH MY GODS was it Ms Potts?! Do you need me to find someone, cause Karen and I have gotten real good at cold cases, I bet we could track someone down within the hour—”

 

“PETER! Jesus, kid, you’re making this even more stressful somehow.” Peter shut down as soon as Tony raised his voice, “Pepper just went into labour.”

 

Peter was suddenly very glad he was still on a light post and not swinging through skyscrapers cause he’s 99.59% sure he would have hit a building just then. MJ and Ned were now dead silent. No popcorn crunch within hearing distance, which for Peter was pretty far. 

 

“Um,” Peter stammers, blinking owlishly, “sorry, Mr. Stark, what was that?”

 

Tony lets out a half fond half exasperated sigh and repeats himself, “Pepper’s in labour kid, the baby’s coming,” Peter was still sort of silent which worried Tony a bit, but he also had much more pressing matters on his hands. “Look kid, if you can make it over, I’d really appreciate it, but please don’t get distracted and kit a bus or something. I can’t deal with two of my children’s emergencies right now,” Tony jokes, and none of the teenagers decide to point out the rather choked way the words came out.

 

Peter was suddenly much more awake and aware, “Yes! Of course Mr. Stark, I’m on my way right now! I’ll be there soon, tell Pepper not to worry I’ll be there soon!”

 

Tony scoffs, “Kid, I’m here already. It’s not like Pepper’s on her own,”

 

Peter smirks as he webs to the side of a building and begins his way to Presbyterian Hospital, “Sure, but we both know I’m gonna be the one to keep her calm, while you'll probably get in the way,”

 

Silence met Peter’s remark until Tony sniffs and says, “Just get down here, Parker.” and hangs up. Peter chortles while MJ makes an amused sound and Ned is still in shock.

 

“Oh my GOD, PETER YOU”RE GONNA DELIVER A STARK BABY!!”

 

“Ned, I’m pretty sure there are doctors to do that.” MJ rolls her eyes, but then looks at the screen to give Peter a smile, “Bye loser, tell Tony to breathe and Pepper good luck,”

 

“All right, I’ll talk to you guys later!” Peter says before telling Karen to disconnect.

 

It didn’t take Peter all that long to make it to the hospital. What took him the longest was trying to get into the hospital. He’d taken the suit off in an alley before entering the building, but when he asked the nurse at the front desk where he could find Miss Potts, he was strictly prohibited from entering. 

 

Turning away from the desk, Peter thought about calling Tony but figured the man might be a little busy. So, he turned around and left.

 

* * *

He felt like he couldn’t breathe. All the air had been stolen from his body in a large rush as soon as the tiny bundle had been placed in his arms. Tony felt his eyes water immediately and felt overwhelmed by the little person he knew he would do anything for. And judging by the fact he’s already gone to space a few times just to save the stupid planet, his baby would have no one or thing bothering them ever. 

 

Pepper looked exhausted on her hospital bed, but was smiling softly at Tony and their baby, both of them falling more in love with the tiny human the longer they watched her stretch and snuggle. 

“Have you heard anything from Peter?” Pepper whispers, afraid to break the ambiance of the quiet room. 

 

Tony frowns and looks up to Pepper, who looks a tiny bit worried about the missing teen, “He said he was on his way when I called him, and you did deliver pretty fast. Maybe he’s still on his way,”

 

Pepper hums, but still looks unsure so Tony goes and deposits their baby in her arms, immediately restoring her happy consonance, “I’ll go call him again, shall I?” Pepper nods with a grateful look and closes her eyes in exhaustion as soon as Tony presses a kiss to her forehead and turns to leave the room.

 

He dials Peter immediately, using the phone like a normal person so as not displaying his Spider-kid to other people milling around the maternity ward. He waits for four rings before Karen picks up to say Peter was not available. Feeling dread hit his stomach, Tony immediately has Friday pull up Spider-Man’s stats. 

 

“Boss, the Spider-Man suit is offline. Peter Parker is not currently wearing the suit.”

 

“Well then where the hell is he?”

 

“Tony!” Pepper calls from the room, and Tony whips around to reenter, his mind going in too many directions at once.

 

“Pepper?” Tony looks at the bed and stops dead. Pepper had apparently found Peter first. The kid was sitting on the corner of the bed petting a single finger down the ridge of their baby’s nose, smiling so gently he looked like he might be about to cry. 

 

Peter notices Tony standing there and grins, “Hiya Mr. Stark, I had to climb through the window to get in here. That nurse downstairs takes her job very seriously. I had to kinda crawl up a few different building and floors to find you guys, sorry it took so long.” he looks back at the baby and coos, “sorry I missed it, but she’d really cute Mr. Stark, Ms Potts.”

 

“Thank you, Peter. Do you want to hold her yet?” Pepper asks, smiling at the boy with a proud mama bear grin. Peter’s eyes grow wide and he scoots back a bit.

 

“Um, maybe not. I’ve never held a baby before, and I don’t want to—”

 

“Oh hush Spider-Baby, and hold your sister,” Tony says as he scoops the baby out of Pepper’s arms and almost expertly deposits her into Peter’s arms. The kid looks so freaked out Tony can’t help but raise his phone and snap a picture of his kids. Pepper giggles, but watches the both of them fondly.

 

Peter looks down at the baby girl in his arms, and Tony can practically see the very moment his kid falls in love with his...kid.

 

“Wow,” Peter whispers and Toy smiles as he takes a seat in the chair next to the bed, watching them with Pepper, “what, uh, what’s her name?”

 

Tony grins, “Morgan,”

 

Peter smiles and looks up to Pepper, “He won, huh?”

 

Pepper shrugs, “I really did think it was going to be a boy,”

 

“What was the name for a boy?” Peter asks, but Tony cuts in with a tsking noise.

 

“Uh uh, Spidey, can’t have that information out there. What if we have a boy next time, and you win all the bets?” 

 

Pepper glares at her fiance, “You are not allowed to talk about ‘next time’ at all right now.”

 

Tony cringes but manages to give her a winning smile, “Yes, dear.”

 

Peter laughs which jostles Morgan a bit too much and the baby grumbles. Peter very quickly hands her over to Pepper who laughs good naturedly, but dutifully cuddles her daughter to her chest. Tony watches on fondly before he feels a weight on his side. Looking over, he finds a Spider-Monkey leaning into his arm. Tony wraps his arm around Peter and holds the kid close, all too happy to have his family close by. 

 

Suddenly Peter asks, “Does she have a middle name?”

 

Pepper hums, but Tony is the one to answer, “Harriet,”

 

Peter looks up at them a bit confused, “Not, uh, Maria?”

 

Tony smiles tightly and squeezes the boy closer to him, “Nah, she doesn’t need to carry any weighty names, look how tiny she is. She’d collapse.”

 

Peter grins, “Why Harriet then?”

 

Pepper tucks her lips in like she’s trying not to laugh, “For Happy,”

 

Peter looks confused but then understanding fills his face, “Like, Harold ‘Happy’ Hogan? You named her after Happy?”

 

“Like I said, I really thought she was a boy, Peter,” Pepper says with a sigh that really isn’t that heavy.

 

“Man, that boy name must have been a really good one,” Peter jokes and Pepper nods sagely.

 

“You have no idea,” The small family laughs together and watches the baby stretch at the sound of joy around her. They are quiet after that, enjoying the silence and calm nature of this moment. That is, until another thought comes to Peter and he breaks the quiet.

 

“Natasha’s gonna be pissed she got a niece and still didn’t get her named after her.”


	17. Tony doesn't understand sleeping arrangements

MJ found it very amusing that past playboy and eccentric billionaire (or..zillionaire? She’d ask Peter later) Tony Stark was so confused and fidgety about Peter being in a romantic relationship. He was the only one out of Peter’s myriad of adults to oppose anything that would suggest she and Peter be alone together. At first, MJ had been a little upset at such opposition to her, but eventually, after many moments of being in the presence of Tony and receiving many eye rolls from Pepper Potts, MJ came to realize Tony’s problem wasn’t with her; it was with his  _ son  _ having a girlfriend. 

 

MJ had tried to bring this up with Peter, but he had shot down the idea, and that ‘Mr. Stark’ probably wasn’t even fully aware they were dating. MJ had raised a brow at this, but figured if Peter wasn’t going to listen, then she would step back with Pepper (and even occasionally May) and smirk at Tony Stark squirming when Peter mentioned a date they’d been on, or that he had been ‘hanging out with MJ’.

 

Now, MJ knew, and Pepper and May probably also knew that their relationship was still pretty low key. Neither of them were ready to go further yet (which was fine, they were both accepting) and mostly liked just being near one another. Sure, MJ usually spent the night at the Parker’s more than at her own mother’s place, but that was also because she could barely handle staying there anymore, and May was very happy to have her around. And aside from spending the night in the same bed, she and Peter weren’t overly touchy in public, and still talked to one another like best friends. Some of the girls at school thought this was weird, but then, none of them had made it past three months with a boyfriend before, and MJ and Peter were winning by a year. 

 

So, no one found it a weird idea or thing to have MJ stay over at the Tower where Peter would be spending the weekend. May had to work basically the whole weekend with back to back shifts, and didn’t want Peter alone that whole time. MJ figured she also didn’t want him being Spider-Man that whole time, and Tony was pretty good at setting superhero boundaries. So, since Peter was staying at the Tower, and MJ was sleeping in Peter’s bed, and usually couldn’t fall asleep  _ away _ from Peter...she was following Peter to the Tower his new bed would be in. Everyone also agreed, this move made sense. With Peter, came Michelle.

 

Except Tony. Apparently, Peter had never mentioned to his mentor/father figure that he regularly had his girlfriend sleep over, with May’s full knowledge. When asked if Peter could stay the weekend, Tony had been very excited. Probably because with Peter staying over, Pepper usually let Tony stay in the lab longer so she could deal with Morgan on her own and not try to rely on Tony’s whacked sense of time. Tony was only too happy to let Peter stay over.

 

“Great!” Had been May’s happy exclamation, “he and MJ will be over right after school Friday. They usually do homework before heading to bed, but if you steal Peter to the lab, MJ might stay up a little later. She likes Sunchips, it’s usually a good idea to leave her treats.” 

 

While Peter had choked on a laugh, MJ had watched May frown at the phone, “Yeah, MJ… his  _ girlfriend _ — Stark, do you even listen to our kid? They’ve been together for a year! Peter rarely stops talking about the girl!” May now looked  _ very _ amused, sharing a glance with MJ, who was a bit confused. “Well, she’s coming over because she needs somewhere to sleep too. I’m not going to send one kid and leave the other one home alone, now am I?” MJ had blushed and turned away from the conversation.

 

So they found themselves being dropped off by Happy after school, MJ’s packed bag thrown over Peter’s shoulder, since he’d grabbed it first with a smirk, and ignored her trying to take it back. MJ had been to the Tower before and knew what to expect, but apparently had no idea that Tony would be hovering over them as soon as they walked out of the elevator. Pepper looked terribly amused from her place on the couch where she had baby Morgan laying on her knees, arms spread out in sleep. MJ ignored Tony and went over to Pepper to coo at the baby, missing Pepper giving her a soft look over her shoulder. Peter grinned at the three girl and bound over to poke and coo at Morgan, which only resulted in Pepper shooing him away.

 

“Peter Parker, if you wake this baby up right now,  _ you _ get to stay up with her all night.” Pepper admonished him. 

Peter recoiled, hand to his chest in faux astonishment, “Madame, I would be honoured to watch over the Young Lady Stark,” he went to take the baby, but had to dodge the teasing swipe Pepper aimed at him.

 

“Pete, if you wake that child up, you’re being banished to another room. No way am I sharing a bed with a squealing baby,” MJ says deadpan, receiving a snort from Pepper and her quick ‘amen’, while Peter grins bashfully. Tony makes a weird choking noise that has MJ trying not to outright laugh. 

 

“Right, er, Pete can show you your room—”

 

“Great!” MJ says much too brightly but is also enjoying this more than she probably should be, “I’ll grab my bag and unpack. Peter?” Peter gives her a questioning look, but of course, her sweet naive boyfriend just gets up and helps her bring her bag down the hall. He stops by a door that is clearly to his bedroom as it has a dorky cartoon spider decal on it but pauses to look over his shoulder at her.

 

“Um, was Mr. Stark being a little weird do you think?” Peter whispers, turning the knob and stepping into his (their) bedroom.

 

MJ tries to play dumb, “Well I’ve never really spent that much time with him…” Peter nods but still looks to be thinking over the last few minutes. MJ decides to have some pity on him, “Peter, have you ever...you know,  _ told _ Tony about us?”

 

Peter gives her a look that’s a cross between confusion and maybe a bit of fear, “I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned you, or something we’ve done on multiple occasions.”

 

MJ rolls her eyes, waiting for Peter to drop her bag on the bed. Which was huge. Better than a fucking  _ cloud _ . Oh, Thor, she was going to have the  _ best sleep _ — “Sure, but have you ever actually said the words, ‘MJ, my girlfriend, stays the night with me’ before? Cause he seems a bit confused,” 

 

Peter pauses by the bed, her bag half off his shoulder as he sort of looks off into space for a second before looking at her with a more heavy sense of panic in his face. Bingo. “Oh my gods, how the hell did I screw that up?”

 

MJ giggles, which she really only lets herself do when it's just her and Peter and unzips her bag to begin unpacking, “I’ve got no idea, dude. I mean, Pepper knows,”

 

Peter grabs at his hair, making the brown curls stick straight up, “That’s even worse! Pepper knew before him! That’s like a kick to the ego for him!” this only makes MJ laugh more as she takes a pile of folded clothes and gestures to Peter. He turns and opens one of the dresser drawers for her, which she happily notes is empty just for her. 

 

“MJ, I just brought my girlfriend home for the first time without even bothering to tell my  _ dad _ that said girlfriend  _ lives with me _ .”

 

Not being bothered by the strange third-person reference to herself, MJ hands another pile over to Peter who automatically places them next to the other in the drawer, “Or that we share a bed every night,”

 

If possible, Peter suddenly looked even paler, “No wonder he was being weird,” 

 

“Yeah,” MJ closes the drawer and begins placing her toiletries in the bathroom, “I’m surprised he didn’t follow up in here, honestly,”

* * *

Tony was pacing. Pepper was ignoring and trying not to laugh. Morgan was sleeping and snoring just a bit. All was right in the world. Except Tony’s world. His world seems to have stopped when he watched his kid walk his girlfriend to his bedroom. 

 

“Did you know about this?” Tony finally asked, running his hand through his hair, causing the curls to escape the hair gel and stick up everywhere. 

 

Pepper rolls her eyes, “Obviously, May and I talk almost every week, Tony. How did you not know about this?”

 

Tony whips around to look at her, “How long has this been going on?!”

 

Pepper scoffs, “I’m not sure, maybe a year? Or less, I’m not sure when their anniversary was.” Tony chokes on air, looking like she’d fed him a lemon, “Why are you having so much trouble with this? May knows,”

 

“Because they’re still  _ teenagers _ , Pep! Teenagers are the worst! Do you know what I was up to when I was a teenager?”

 

Pepper gave him a curled lip frown, “Not particularly,”

 

“A  _ lot _ , Pepper! Teenagers are hormonal and not to be trusted. How can May be okay with Peter having his girlfriend sleep over?”

 

Pepper frowns at Tony, trying not to show how amusing she was finding his distress, “You know MJ is at their apartment nearly the whole week, right?” Tony gave her a look to explain that no, he did not in fact know that, “Tony, honey, do you not trust Peter?”

 

Tony looked a bit sheepish, “No, I do,”

 

Pepper glares at him, the look more steely than before, “So you don’t trust MJ,” 

 

“That’s...not true,”

 

“Really?”

 

“It’s maybe a bit true,”

 

Pepper throws her hands up in the air, “Anthony Stark, those two are the most wonderful, responsible, adult teens I have ever met! Have you ever taken the time to ask Peter anything about MJ? Or, actually, have you ever had a serious conversation with her?”

 

Tony was a bit stymied, “No…”

 

“Then how can you decide if you like her or not without talking about her? Peter loves this girl, and you’re not even going to try to know her?” Tony looked ready to fall through the floor, but Pepper wasn’t done, “what if they get married in the future, Tony? Are you telling me you’d actually be okay with watching your son marry a woman he’s loved for years and realize you’d never took the time to get to know her?”

 

Tony was silent and a bit upset at himself, but wasn’t really willing to say that. He sat down again with an agreeing sounding grunt, which Pepper took. It was a few minutes later that the young couple returned, with Peter looking a little shy and MJ looking a bit amused. She and Pepper shared a look that basically spelt out their amusement at their significant others. MJ sat down first, close enough to Pepper to be able to tickle Morgan’s toes. Peter took a seat on the couch next to Tony’s seat, where they could both see the three girls. 

 

“Um, I sort of realized we never really talked about, er, me and MJ,” Peter whispers to Tony, who perks his ears, “I wanted to say sorry for not really,  _ saying _ it, I guess.”

 

Tony sighs and looks over at the kid, noting the blush on the apples of his cheeks he would always get when he was embarrassed, “Yeah, I might have had a bit of a mini heart attack, but you know,”

 

Peter only looked more worried now, looking Tony up and down, “Are you ok? I can ask MJ to stay at the apartment if you’re really worried. She said she’d understand if you did. I think she mainly came to tease you for not knowing we were together, but that’s sort of on me, which also makes sense since she pretty much lives to embarass me.” Tony is now smirking as the kid begins a familiar ramble, but this time Tony notes how grown up Peter sounds and it makes a tight grip clutch his chest. 

 

“I’m sorry too, kid,” Peter pauses to look up into Tony’s eyes, “Pepper might have made me realize I had never asked about MJ, or tried to get to know her before now.” 

 

Peter’s eyes soften, “Not very many people do, Mr. Stark, that’s what makes knowing her so special.”

 

Tony feels a little astonished, but so damn proud in that moment that he reaches over and pulls Peter in for a small hug. A shrill baby screech has them stopping to look over at the girls, where a now awake Morgan is being picked up my MJ. Pepper is only watching with half a protective eye, while she just enjoys the two girls bonding. MJ wastes no time to nuzzle her nose against the baby’s, and pretend to nibble under Morgan’s chin. The baby finds this absolutely hilarious, and lets out a bubbly laugh. Everyone freezes aside from MJ, who continues to manage a few more loud laughs from the baby just by nibbling at her chin and chest and then down to her fingers and toes. Peter is smiling at the two, while Pepper is smiling softly with tears in the corner of her eyes. Tony is gobsmacked, watching this young girl make his daughter laugh for the first time so effortlessly like she’d been doing it all her life. 

 

And maybe she had, Tony realized. He didn’t know enough about Michelle Jones to pass any judgement. And if Pepper was happy, and Morgan was happy, and  _ Peter  _ was happy, then Tony would try his hardest to keep them happy.

 

“You seem pretty comfortable with her, Michelle,” Tony says and MJ looks up, still holding Morgan up to her face carefully. The small baby is already looking exhausted but still happy with the attention. 

 

“I’ve got a little sister that I basically raised on my own. My dad left before she was born, and my mom’s been sort of checked out since then. She cares for Lainey, for can’t seem to focus on a baby and a teenager and herself at the same time. So I took over for Lainey while she got herself together. And now she can care for the both of them on her own,” MJ shrugged like it was no big deal, but Tony was already taken with the abrasive, but caring girl. 

 

“So she takes care of Lainey and herself, but not you?” Pepper asks bluntly, more used to MJ than Tony, and knowing the girl usually appreciates bluntness. MJ shrugs and turns her attention back to Morgan, but Peter sees the way MJ’s shoulders stay a little more hunched than before. 

 

“MJ’s got me and May taking care of her now, so her mom can focus on herself and Lainey,” Peter says, and MJ nods once. But Tony notices her look at Peter with a wide eyed gratitude that he appreciates more than anything else.

 

Tony leans forward and studies the book MJ had left on the coffee table, “The Great Gatsby, huh?”

 

MJ looks at it in some small amount of amusement before smirking at Peter, “Yeah, it’s Peter’s favourite for me to read to him,” she looks at Tony at seems to be sizing him up for a second before saying, “and call me, MJ. All my friends do,”

 

Tony nods, aware of the gift being handed to him, “Sounds good, MJ,”


	18. Peter goes to the Ball (first red carpet)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one might end a little lamely, but I was losing my mojo with this one, and really wanted the ending to just be a different chapter, so this is this
> 
> Thanks everyone for being so understanding with my schedule, school this term is kicking my ass

It wasn’t widespread knowledge that Tony Stark was raising a family. After the Snap, and the following panic that ensued and eventually the Avengers conference that soothed everyone’s worries, people knew Tony had been an integral part of bringing those dusted back. They weren’t told many details, and surprisingly people accepted this and moved on. But, it did cause Tony’s fame to skyrocket, which was a feat in and of itself. 

 

Happy had a hell of a time getting Tony anywhere anymore, with the amount of press and reporters consistently following him around. Most days he stayed in the Tower (‘like a princess’ — ‘Shut the fuck up Natashalie”) with Morgan, while Pepper spent her time working in the lower levels. The Avengers stayed there as well. There wasn’t much for them to do so soon after this worldwide disaster, and found themselves feeling safe in Stark’s tower, and unwilling to leave a teammate’s side. This decision, however comfortable it was to the Tower’s inhabitants, caused mass interest to those who were still excited about the famous superhero team, and the genius billionaire who housed them. 

 

When Morgan was born, Pepper had insisted they place a small announcement in the paper, just as a way to document their daughter without having to display their baby to the public. Tony still hadn’t liked the idea but had Friday slip it into the Times. The next day, there wasn’t a single news outlet that wasn’t talking about the birth of the ‘Next Stark’.

 

Tony rolls over in their bed to face Pepper, who hasn’t looked away from her tablet yet, as she scrolls through all the news articles speculating about their baby. Morgan is still fast asleep in her basket next to Pepper’s side of the bed, and Tony takes this time to prop his chin on his fiancee’s stomach to look at his daughter. 

 

“I told you we should have raised her like a hermit, then none of this would be happening.” 

 

Pepper only rolls her eyes at him, not looking away from the constant stream of news about her family, “I think you gave that option up when you destroyed a giant purple alien for the whole world.”

 

Tony hums like this thought hadn’t occurred to him, “I suppose so,” he pauses when Morgan stretches in her sleep, and he feels his chest expand with hers, “hey, we should have just bit the bullet and announced our wedding at the same time.”

 

Pepper actually pauses her scrolling, “we — uh, well — shit, Tony, why didn’t you think of this twenty-four hours ago?” Tony snorts out a laugh, rolling his arms over and underneath her waist to pull her closer. Then another thought occurs to him and he starts shaking with laughter. 

 

“What?” Pepper asks like she’s afraid to hear the answer.

 

“We,” Tony breaks off with another chuckle, “we should have put in an announcement for our other child too.”

 

Pepper looks down at him with a smirk, “Something you not telling me, honey?”

 

Tony just grins, “Peter would have freaked out, it would have made for a good video.”

 

Rolling her eyes, Pepper goes back to her tablet, “We are not putting an announcement for our Spider-baby in the paper.”

 

“It would be gold though! On this day, October 20th, 2019, Anthony Stark and Virginia Potts are happy to announce their unofficial adoption of one Peter Benjamin Parker, who is a constant pain in the ass, but so cute and loveable they couldn’t kick him to the curb, and instead have settled with the fact they are never getting rid of him. Like a cute puppy, the 120-pound boy is too smart for his own good, and wiggled his way into their affections…”

 

“So our announcement for our not-official son is going to be longer than the one for our flesh and blood daughter?” Pepper is trying very hard not to show her amusement but is failing miserably. 

 

Tony is still laughing to himself as he shrugs, “He’s our firstborn, second children always get the leftovers, don’t they?” 

 

“I thought DUM-E was your firstborn.”

 

“...Don’t tell him I forgot him.”

 

—

 

Peter came over right after school that day. It had been two weeks since the announcement of Morgan H. Stark (and boy wasn’t that a whole other conspiracy theory for the public: wHaT Did tHe H StaNd FoR?) and Peter had been living at the Tower. May had been chosen to join a charity organization at her hospital going to someplace in Africa to aid a small town. Peter had been so happy for his aunt and had urged the woman to go. Tony had immediately offered to have Peter stay with him and Pepper at the Tower. Peter had acted perhaps a bit like a little puppy, bouncing around his aunt until the poor woman had no other choice but to let her nephew stay with the billionaire (and wasn’t that a crazy sentence to say?).

 

And while Peter was very excited to be visiting the other side of his co-parenting units, he was also staying over tonight to get ready with Pepper and Tony for the gala tomorrow night. 

 

Pepper had been a tad unsure about the family going out so early after the announcement of Morgan, but amazingly this time Tony was the one to insist they venture out for a night. 

 

“Pep, you just had a baby and still look like a supermodel. You’re literally a badass, I need to show the world my amazing fiancee.” Pepper didn’t take much more convincing. 

 

Tony had then spent the rest of his energy convincing Peter that he also needed to attend this gala.

 

“Kid, this is the first time the world’s ever seen Tony Stark and Pepper Potts as parents. We already announced Morgan, I’ve got to announce you somehow too. And Pepper already kiboshed another newspaper announcement.”

 

“Aww, that’s really sweet, Mr. Stark… wait, you were going to post a baby announcement about me?”

 

“...No?” 

 

—

 

It didn’t take Peter very long to call MJ and beg and plead for her to come over right away, right this very minute, because if he had to try and answer another question from pepper about how he liked his hair done, or which shoes he was wearing and ‘where did your dress shirt even go, Peter?’, he was going to go insane. MJ had arrived at the Tower within the hour and had taken over control of fielding Pepper’s questions, which Peter honestly couldn’t tell was better or not. 

 

By two in the afternoon, Peter’s hair was coiffed to both women’s preference (read: his curls were still there, neither let him slick them down), deep red tux pressed and on, shoes tied, and Spider-Man’s  web-shooters having been converted into a pair of cufflinks Tony had given him an hour ago. Pepper had petted his hair once more before going off to get Morgan up from her nap. Natasha was going to be over in another thirty minutes to babysit for the evening since Tony had basically refused to have anyone else. Something about having a deadly super-spy watching his daughter kept the man sane enough to leave his newborn daughter for the night. 

 

MJ sat down on the couch facing him, grinning like a Cheshire cat when Peter realized he wasn’t going to be able to sit down without getting his outfit all wrinkly. He mock glares at MJ but still leans down to give her a kiss. 

 

“Are you at least a little excited to be going to this thing?” MJ asks after he pulls away, grabbing after his hand to intertwine their fingers. 

 

Peter hums, swinging their hands back and forth, “I guess. It’ll be fun once we’re actually there, I think. I’m just nervous to be seen with Tony, as like, my  _ dad _ .”

 

MJ hums along too, giving his fingers a quick squeeze. Pepper’s head suddenly pops out from the hallway, looking over at MJ with a crinkle in her brow, “MJ, honey, why aren’t you getting ready? We’re leaving in an hour!” 

 

MJ blinks at Pepper then turns to look up at Peter, blinking owlishly once more, “Heh?”

 

—

 

Peter’s pretty sure he’s died (again?) and gone to heaven. There’s absolutely no way he is sitting next to this gorgeous person, he can’t be this lucky. Parker Luck™  has never been a positive thing for him. And —  _ Thor, if she doesn’t stop touching his leg! _

 

“MJ you look so stunning in that dress, sweetheart,” Pepper shakes her head once again, having said something similar to the girl multiple times already. Tony smirks at Peter, knowing very well how hard his kid must be biting his tongue right now. 

 

MJ blushes becomingly, the constant compliments being too much for her to ignore, “Thanks Pepper, I appreciate you thinking of it for me. I didn’t even think I was supposed to be coming…”

 

“It’s alright hon, we can agree to blame Peter for not telling you about your invite.” Both women nodded, and even Tony nodded sagely, grinning the whole while at Peter. 

 

“ _ Hey _ , I’ve been stressed! How was I supposed to know I was supposed to bring a date?”

 

Pepper raises a brow, “Since you officially began dating my favourite young adult, Peter.”

 

Peter mockingly clutches his chest, “I’m not your favourite young adult?”

 

“No, but you’re Tony’s, take that as you may,”

 

“ _ Hey, _ ” resounded from both ends of the limo.

 

—

 

The car came to a stop in front of the classic red carpet at the foot of a much too large looking staircase. Peter felt like he wanted to faint, hyperventilate and run away all at once. He was stuck staring out the tinted car window, watching the photographers snapping pictures of the person in front of them, and turning to their vehicle. More flashes and talking could be heard once people realized it was a Stark vehicle coming up. 

“Peter,” Tony says from the seat in front of him, shaking his knee with his own. Peter snaps his head up to look at his mentor and dad, looking back at him softly, “deep breaths bud, stick close to MJ and follow Pepper’s and my lead. You’ll be a natural kid, you’re gonna surprise yourself.”

 

“Tony—” Peter chokes, and both Pepper and MJ add their own little squeezes. Pepper to his other knee and MJ to his fingers. 

 

Tony’s eyes are so soft, Peter feels some of the tension in his shoulders melt away, “Come on kid, let’s show the world how proud I am of my kids,” Tony winks over at MJ before rapping a knuckle on his window, and the door opens for him. Flashes and the loud crown are overwhelming as Tony straightens himself out, buttoning his tux suit back up as he smiles and waves. The door closes and the three left inside are in a quiet zome once again. Pepper doesn’t stop her soft smile at Peter and doesn’t let go of his fingers until Tony is opening the door on her and Peter’s side, sticking his hand in to help her out. 

 

Pepper grabs her fiance’s hand with one last look to the teens and swings her leg out of the car to another loud cry from photographers. This time the car door doesn’t close and Peter knows it’s his turn. He takes a breath and goes to step out as well. MJ takes this moment to give his hand one more big squeeze, letting go long enough for him to step out and do up his jacket.

 

Peter is almost numb the to amount of noise being thrown his way as people realize just who is coming out of Tony Stark’s limo. He takes a breath before looking up, the corners of his mouth turning up in a small smile, enough that he knows his dimples are at least showing. He allows a few pictures, just like Tony had told him, before turning and sticking his had out for MJ to take as Pepper had taught him. His smile grows more real when MJ emerges and takes her place next to him, the car door being shut behind her and moving away. 

 

Now he feels like the cameras and yelling is necessary because  _ damn _ his girlfriend looks  _ amazing _ . Pepper had had a dress made for her to very secretly be an ode to his Spider-Man suit, which he had tried very hard not to squeal over because that was adorable. Her ridiculously long legs were on view with the short front of the poofy dress, but the back made a lovely sparkly train he had to try very hard not to trip over. The bodice had him breathing a little shallowly when he’d first seen her, but now the lights and flashes were making the sparkling black studded top catch his eye even more, and he caught a smirk being aimed his way from his girlfriend when she caught him looking. The black top faded into a deep red that matched his own tux and into a brighter red that matched her very full red lips. Pepper had very sternly told him not to mess them up, or he’d receive a smack in front of the press. 

 

_ She’ll never know _ , Peter thinks and leans in to give her a quick kiss, which has MJ snorting a laugh and more camera’s flashing around them. 

 

“You’re in trouble,” MJ sing-songs, but takes his arm and they follow his parents down the carpet. Peter looks forward to see Tony laughing at him, even if it is with his press smile, and Pepper glaring at him, pointing back at him with her scarily sharp-looking clutch.

 

Peter cringes but smiles at his dad as Tony seems to actually be enjoying himself. If he needed to be in the public eye in order to stay a part of this family, Peter would do it every day. Especially if he had MJ on his arm when he did it. 


	19. Night time routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MJ and Pepper crash and Peter is a good boi

The gala had run its course as far as MJ was concerned, by the second hour. It felt like it had been drawn out just so the hosts could milk all of the Stark’s attention for as long as they could. Pepper was of course very professional as per usual, but Tony has begun whining by seven, which only allowed Peter to feel he too was allowed to begin whining. MJ found herself making eye contact with Pepper by eight o’clock, and had a weird female connection in which she knew exactly what Pepper was saying when she looked her dead in the eye, blinked once  _ very  _ slowly and smiled serenely up to their waiter. 

 

“I think we’re about ready to head out, would you be so kind as to notify our driver?” 

 

But MJ heard, “Hello, I’m about to stab my fiance with a spoon, and his son might just be thrown out a window next if he’s lucky. Please, save their lives and get our car ready.”

 

MJ just smiles at Pepper when she turns back to the table, ignoring both Tony and Peter cheering about leaving. MJ felt like cheering too, mostly at the idea of being able to take off this dress and sling her shoes as far away from her as possible. 

 

Only, she realized she was going to have to leave the building first, looking just as poised and glamorous as she’d tried when entering the building. Tony and Pepper had no problem, of course, looking great the whole time Tony whined to the car, still handing Pepper in and sitting down himself. Even Peter was looking as clean-cut as he had five hours ago, giving MJ a hand down the steps in her stupid high shoes. She tried not to glare at her boyfriend as he settled himself into the car after her, grinning when she huffed and pulled her dress in after her.

 

“You look ready to eat that dress MJ,” Peter jokes but receives a glare from his girlfriend in answer.

 

“You wear a corset and three-inch heels for the length of a normal part-time job day shift, Peter Parker, and let me know how you’re feeling by hour six,” MJ growls, causing Peter to throw his hands up like she was pointing a gun at him, and Tony to lean away from her on their side of the seat. Pepper was sitting kitty corner from her and looked so relieved in her slumped down position that MJ couldn’t stop herself from copying the action. She groans in relief as soon as she does, and receives a grunted, “Uh huh,” from Pepper. 

 

Tony is looking at both of them in bemusement, while Peter is trying not to laugh, “I’ve always said Pepper is over exaggerating but is it really that uncomfortable?”

 

“YES!” both women exclaim, and Peter can’t stop a laugh slipping out this time. Tony looks baffled.

 

“Then why do you wear things like this? Wear sweatpants for all I care…”

 

“Tony, honey, shut up. We like looking pretty,” Pepper says, looking at Tony from her slouched spot, creating a hilarious looking double chin that has Tony biting his lip to keep from laughing. 

 

“That’s right; I felt damn good tonight, but fuck you to the patriarchy for making me feel pretty when I am wearing too much makeup and a poofy dress,” MJ says from her spot, her feet now coming up and landing in Peter’s lap, “Fuck the patriarchy!”

 

“Amen!” Pepper yells, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back. Peter and Tony share a muffled laugh, looking at one another as if to say,  _ What just happened? _ Peter took the opportunity to remove MJ’s shoes for her and throwing them on the ground. MJ lifts herself up enough to give him a thumbs-up, which he returns before digging his finger into the ball of her foot. 

 

Tony gives him a look, “ _ Kiss ass, _ ” 

 

Peter looks down his nose at him, “ _ Is it kissing ass, or gaining boyfriend points? You decide,”  _

 

“You’re both terrible whisperers,”

 

“Parker, you weren’t told to stop,”

* * *

By the time they reach the Tower, both girls have fallen asleep in an array of disarray. Peter decides he’s most likely the best choice to try and get out first, and carefully removes MJ’s feet from his lap, letting them slip to the floor. Tony lifts his arms so Peter can pull MJ’s dress train out from underneath Pepper’s legs (and honestly who knows how that happened) before he backs out of the car and looks back inside. 

 

“You want me to come back for Pepper?” Peter whispers for real this time, not wanting to wake up either woman. 

 

Tony shakes his head, “You get MJ, I’m gonna wake Pep up. She’d be mad if she didn’t get to see Morgan after tonight,” Peter nodded and reached in to scoop his girlfriend up. MJ was pretty pliable when she was asleep, add on her exhaustion, and Peter assumed she wasn’t going to wake up until the morning. 

 

Making sure he had a good hold on her, Peter made his way into the building, ignoring the night time staff milling around the floor as he got onto the elevator. Tony and Pepper weren’t that far behind, Pepper holding onto both her and MJ’s shoes. Tony had his arm wrapped around Pepper’s shoulders, and asked Friday, “Back home, Fri.”

 

The doors opened up to the penthouse, mostly dark save for a few warm lamps and the one pointed down at the couch where Peter saw Natasha was sitting, Morgan in her basket on the floor next to her. 

 

Natasha looked up at the group, “I thought this might be better so everyone could say good night before crashing,”

 

Pepper is smiling and moving to Morgan right away, “Thanks Nat,” she reaches in to brush a soft curl on her daughter’s head, but pulling away so she wouldn’t wake her up. Pepper flopped onto the couch across from Natasha’s, and Peter went to place MJ down next to her. Pepper smiles at the sleeping girl, pulling her feet up into her lap. As Tony is also saying goodnight to Morgan before Natasha picks up her basket and walks to the bedrooms, Pepper is falling back asleep. By the time Peter comes back into the room, missing his suit jacket, both girls are fast asleep together on the couch. 

 

Smiling at both of them, he makes to toss something at Tony, “Look alive, Mr. Stark,”

 

Tony catches the item, looking down in confusion, “Wipes?”

 

“Makeup wipes. I grabbed those from your bathroom, kinda assumed they were Pepper’s…” Tony looks at him in confusion, making Peter roll his eyes, “girl’s don’t usually go to bed with makeup on, Mr. Stark. It’s not good for your skin,” Tony just looks more confused, making Peter go a bit red, “I grew up with May, don’t judge me.”

 

“Not judging, just thinking,” Tony says and takes out a wipe, but pauses to watch Peter do the same with what he assumes are MJ’s wipes. He watches his kid turn MJ’s face and wipe her eyes gently, actually making the wipe look like a piece of art he’s pretty sure Pepper had bought a few years ago. It seems like no time at all when Peter tosses the used wipe on the table, MJ’s face looking clean and bare as they usually see it. Peter looks over at Tony as if to say, ‘Your turn’.

 

Tony looks at the wipe, looks at Pepper, and then back to the wipe. 

 

“What are you waiting for?”

 

“I’m trying not to imagine I’m wiping grease off a car, I feel like Pepper might find that rude,”

 

“ _ I _ find that rude,”

 

“Shut it, Spider-brat,”

 

“Don’t you wipe Morgan?”

 

“Yeah, but I feel like that’s also another bad analogy,”

 

“Just  _ give it _ ,” Peter snatches the wipe form Tony’s hand and gently wipes Pepper’s face off as well, making it look so simple that Tony feels a bit stupid for overthinking it. Peter tosses that wipe to the table as well and sits on the ground next to Pepper.

 

“How the heck do these shoes even come undone? They look like torturous ballet slipper with daggers.” Peter pokes at the shoes Pepper had dropped to the ground.

 

Tony shrugs, “Honestly, you’re not far off,” He shifts and goes to unzip Pepper’s dress. Peter makes a choking  _ meep _ sound and Tony tries to stifle a too shocked laugh that travels up his throat.

 

“ _ Mr. Stark, I don’t need to see that!” _

 

“Good God, Peter Benjamin Parker, she has a slip underneath. Go grab her robe from our room if you’re gonna be so squeamish.”

 

Peter sticks his tongue out but does, in fact, go to get robes for Pepper and MJ. Once he’s back, Tony is already gotten the dress down to Pepper’s ankles and throws it onto the couch Natasha had vacated about ten minutes prior. Peter throws him Pepper’s robe, “She’s practically another mom to me, you know. No kid needs to see their parents undressing in front of them.”

 

Tony grins over his shoulder at the boy, both in laughter at his continual embarrassment, as well as at the kid’s easy way of including both him and Pepper in his family, “All right kid, is this your way of telling me to turn around?”

 

Peter glares but can’t quite stop his smile, “Whatever, but just so you know, if MJ finds out I changed her in front of you, you might be dead by morning,” 

 

“Fair enough,” Tony chuckles and turns to attend to his wife’s hair, beginning to pick out all the pins holding up her Hollywood curls. He can feel the couch moving from Peter adjusting MJ and thinks for a moment how much has changed between the four of them, and how comfortable and trusting he is with his kid and his girlfriend. How many parents let their kids undress their girlfriends on the couch? 

 

“All done,” Peter announces, MJ’s dress meeting Pepper’s on the other couch. Tony looks over and finds MJ in a robe, sweater, and PJ pants. 

 

“Anything else, kid? Are the princesses ready for their beds?” Peter looks them over and lands on the pins Tony had begun taking out of Pepper’s hair.

 

“MJ needs her hair up too, then I think I got everything.” He runs off again, leaving Tony to finish with the pins and standing up, groaning quietly at all the popping sounds his body makes. Peter comes back in with some kind of headband and a familiar brush. He hands the brush to Tony, “Here’s Pepper’s brush,”

 

Tony finds he can’t leave it alone now, especially when his kid goes and pulls MJ’s own coiffed, long curly hair up so quickly he’s sure she has him do it quite often. MJ’s hair is not up and wrapped in a headband, and the girls still haven’t moved an inch. Tony runs the brush through his fiancee's hair and deems it satisfactory. He looks over to find Peter twisting his lips in thought, looking down at MJ.

 

“Do we move them? Or is the couch good enough?” Peter asks, and Tony stands again, shaking out his legs. 

 

“Honestly, kid, this is already giving you so many boyfriend points. I think they’ll survive here.” Peter nods and grins at Tony when he ruffled his hair around and shoos him off. Peter lops off to his own room, this time without MJ, and Tony goes to his, where instead of Pepper, he finds Natasha putting Morgan back into her basket. 

 

“Thanks again, Nat,” Tony sighs and watches his daughter toss a bit before letting out an adorable little baby sigh. Natasha smiles and passes him by, patting his shoulder as she goes to her own guest room down the hall, rather than her real room a few floors down. Tony sighs and changes into his own pyjamas quick, sitting down on his bed with a tired sigh.

 

“Well Maguna, guess we’ll have to survive without Mommy here, huh?” Tony pokes the tip of her nose very gently before turning out the lights and falling asleep.


	20. Avengers meet MJ and some of them are honestly confused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly...I don't really know either. It's cringey, but... it felt like it had to happen

The Starks had invited the Parker residence over for Christmas holidays at the Tower. Most of the Avengers were going to be there as well, but Tony had assured May that they were going to have Christmas dinner be just them rather than the whole team, and then if May didn’t want to join the team dinner, she wasn’t missing out on celebrating. May had agreed with the idea and had MJ and Peter pack bags she would bring over with her after her last shift before the holidays and bring them over for them since they still had a day of school left. 

 

So when MJ and Peter entered the building, their bags were already in their room. MJ was exhausted after the day of school, even though they really hadn’t done very much. Peter, knowing how tired she was, suggested she get into some cozy pj’s and either take a nap or snuggle into one of the largest cloud couches in the living room. Liking this idea very much, MJ dressed in large fleece pj’s and took her current book and a fluffy blanket from their room out into the communal living space. Pepper was on the floor with May and Morgan, playing peek a boo with the girl as she wiggled around on the floor. The little girl was only three months but was already trying to turn onto her stomach. Tony was proud as punch. May told him not to be an idiot, and let his baby keep her head up on her own first. 

 

MJ took her spot up in the corner of the couch and immediately puffed the blanket out until she’d made herself a cave of fluff. Not even bothering to open her book, MJ closed her eyes and leaned into the magic softness of the couch. She was out in another five minutes.

 

Peter entered the room having also changed into more comfortable attire and smiled when he saw MJ already asleep. Rather than bothering her he took a seat next to May to play and babble at his sister. 

* * *

It was three hours later, at eight o’clock that MJ woke up to dimmed lights in the room. She was alone now, everyone having eaten and gone to do their own thing without bothering her. Looking around, MJ sniffs and removes herself from the couch. 

 

“Friday, is there still dinner for me?”

 

“Of course Miss Jones, Mrs. Parker made a plate up for you. It’s still in the fridge.” Smiling at the thoughtfulness of Peter’s aunt, MJ opens the fridge but doesn’t find a plate anywhere. Grumbling under her breath, MJ asks Friday where Peter went to. Friday lets her know he and Tony are down in the lab. Not bothering to ask anything else, MJ collects her blanket and wearing it like a large fur coat trails down the stairs to the doors of Tony Stark’s lab. 

 

She’s been here before, but always with one or the other of the mad engineers trailing her. Now, she’s the only one there but can clearly see Peter’s curly head of hair poking up from a hologram table. Still grumbling, MJ asks if Friday could let her in. Normally, the AI doesn’t let anyone in unless they are fingerprinted into the system, but Friday has come to have a bit of a soft spot for the amusing teenager and allows the young girl entrance. 

 

“Parker, did you eat my food?!” Are the first words out of MJ’s mouth as soon as she’s entered the glass lab. Peter immediately looks up from his work table with a scared look in his eyes. 

 

“N-no, MJ, May made a plate up for you and left it upstairs. I purposefully didn’t touch it.” He leans in to whisper to an evenly scared Tony, “Thou shalt not poke the hunger beast,” Tony nods sagely, taking Peter’s word as scripture. 

 

Unfortunately, there was another person in the lab who was not aware of the rule of not poking a hungry MJ. Bucky Barnes, with his metal arm disabled and open in front of Tony, was sitting at a desk with an empty plate in front of him, and the last forkful of mashed potatoes halfway to his mouth. He froze and looked over at the frightening teenager he’s never met before and meets the scared look from Peter and half-amused half-terrified look from Tony. 

 

MJ’s gaze moved over to Bucky who was still brandishing what had clearly been her dinner, and glared so deeply at the Winter Soldier, the man gulped and slowly put his fork down. Tony let out a guffaw while Peter was still watching his girlfriend cautiously. MJ, without blinking or even registering that this man was technically a trained Russian assassin, stalked over and leaned into the man’s space looking him dead in the eye the whole time. Bucky could have honestly started sweating at that moment, but couldn’t stop focusing on the girl in front of him as she whispered, “You don’t. Touch. My. Food.” and snatched the empty plate and fork away before stomping off.

 

Peter calls out before Friday can fully close the door behind her, “I’ll order pizza, babe!” 

 

“Damn right you will,” MJ says and allows Friday to open and close the door, leaving the three men quiet in the lab. 

 

Bucky finally looks over at Peter and whispers, “Who the fuck was that?”

* * *

 

Later that night MJ, feeling much more human-like, apologized to Tony when she sees him, for acting like a hyena.

 

"No worries about me Scary Spice, it's Barnes you might need to fix." Tony had joked and neither spoke about it again. Peter also had found the whole thing pretty funny, but he was much more aware he had more to lose if he poked fun at his girlfriend.  MJ decided she wasn't likely to see the man again anytime soon anyway, and so what, the guy was an Avenger he could handle it. 

 

Unfortunately, MJ was very unaware of Bucky's tendency to tell Steve pretty much everything as part of his rehabilitation from Wakanda. So, the scary teenage girl was quickly becoming a ghost story on the Avenger floor. Clint was the first to make his foray into the unknown zone.

 

The man walked out into the Stark floor to find only Peter Parker sitting on the couch. Clint made to sneak up on the boy but was foiled once again by the kid’s weird sixth sense. Peter whips his head around and furiously taps his finger to his lips in the universal sign for quiet. Clint does in fact freeze, suddenly remembering baby Stark now resides here… yup, the sweet chubby-cheeked baby is laying sprawled across Peter’s lap, fast asleep. Feeling a little guilty for almost ruining the baby’s sleep, Clint goes to clap Peter on the shoulder when he notices said shoulder is also taken by a sleeping human. 

 

Clint is a little astonished that the little punk has a gorgeous girl sleeping on his shoulder, but Peter is cool as a cucumber as he continues watching his movie with some girl sleeping on his side and a baby in his lap. Clint doesn’t think he’s ever met a teenager (well, eighteen, but still that’s teen-aged) to look so calm in such a setting, and knows for certain that Cooper was eons away from looking so mature. 

 

Tapping Peter on the opposite shoulder from the sleeping beauty, Clint signs, asking where his old man is. Peter blushes at the quick connection and lets Clint know Tony is already in the lab. Clint nods and claps him on the shoulder before leaving, feeling a bit curious as to the girl’s identity.

* * *

 

Bruce meets MJ next, just as the girl enters the lab early in the morning looking very bleary-eyed and hair in a complete mess of curls. She seems not to even notice Bruce trying to speak up and ask what’s she’s doing in this lab when she breezes past him towards Tony, who has just surfaced from a set of unruly nanobots. Bruce can tell the exact moment Tony sees the girl, and rather than getting mad at the intruder his face clears and a grin pulls at his lips.

 

“Good morning Miss Jones,” Tony quips only frowning when the girl swipes the coffee cup out of his hand and goes to refill it at the coffee bar, sipping it for herself. 

 

“Is it?” she says so deadpan, it makes Bruce a little self-conscious for reasons he’s really not sure about. 

 

“Well it was until my caffeine was kidnapped,” Tony grumbles and the girl merely cocks a brow and slowly takes another sip. “Whatever, you miscreant, you’re boy is upstairs with May and Pepper.”

 

The girl doesn’t hesitate as she nods and places the now empty cup in the sink behind her, saluting to the room as she leaves. Tony sighs like he can’t believe what just happened, but Bruce can definitely see the smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

* * *

 

Natasha doesn’t bother trying to be sneaky about meeting this mystery girl as she strolls into the Stark’s living room where she finds Tony and Pepper reclined across from Peter’s aunt, who Natasha believes is named May. But this isn’t who she’s here for.

 

“Where the kid’s girlfriend?”

 

Pepper hides her smile while Tony groans good-naturedly, “If only the rest of the team was as to the point as you, Nat. We’d get a lot more done in the day,”

 

“Agreed,” Natasha nods but remains still staring Tony down until the man breaks with a scoff and gestures down the hall. 

 

“Whatever, just don’t scare the kid,”

 

Natasha is the one to scoff now, “I’m not trying to  _ scare her _ ,”

 

Tony snorts, “I meant Peter, good luck scaring the girl, Natashalie,” Natasha storms off with a  _ humpf _ , hating once again that Tony can so easily bug her. 

* * *

 

Steve met the girl the next day having really not been agreeing with the rest of the team on stalking and/or searching for the girl. He was on his way to the gym at the highest point of the Tower as it held the bags made just for him and his super strength. On his way up, the elevator stopped at a floor he hadn’t asked Friday to include, and it put him on edge instantly. 

 

However, when the doors opened it revealed a beaming, wide awake Peter with a long-limbed, tired-looking girl on his back, her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist. The scene made Steve take a long pause, still not moving as Peter stepped onto the elevator with a cheery, “Morning Mr. Rogers!”

 

This had the sleepy girl give a snort and reiterate in a tired voice, “ _ Mr. Rogers _ — Tony must love that,” 

 

Peter chuckles but stops himself when he sees Steve’s glare, “Uh, yeah, no, I don’t know what you mean.”

The elevator is silent until Steve clears his throat and nods to the girl, “I’m Steve, by the way. I don’t think we’ve properly met.”

 

The girl lifts a hand from Peter’s neck, and waves it towards Steve who takes it and gives it one shake up and down, “MJ, I’m Peter’s girlfriend,”

 

Now that shocks Steve enough to forget to get off on his floor, which just so happens to be where Peter and MJ are getting off as well. Peter spins them around to look back at Steve, “Uh, sir, aren’t you going to the gym?”

 

Steve shakes his head, trying to act cool, “Er no, I decided I was going to go for a run this morning,” Peter nods his head like he doesn’t quite believe Steve, especially since it’s meant to snow today, but leaves the man in the closing elevator. Steve slumps against the wall and wonders when the hell history had changed so much that nerdy kids could get such pretty girls to go out with them. 

——

Now, almost everyone who was in the Tower had now met MJ, aside from Sam. And it was simple really how Sam met MJ. 

 

MJ had been tasked with running down to the office floors of the Tower when Pepper had begun fretting about leaving something in her office and being unable to leave Morgan during a feeding. May was at work, and the boys were in the lab working on who knows what. So MJ had offered to run downstairs and grab Pepper’s things. The poor overwhelmed woman had shed a tear and gave MJ a huge hug that MJ felt wasn’t really necessary for only going to grab some papers, but accepted the attention and was on her way. 

 

She caught the elevator as it was making its way from one of the floors above, which she momentarily forgot was where the Avengers were. So she was a little surprised to see one standing in the elevator giving her a once over and a smile. It took her a second, but MJ didn’t take the attention lying down and stepped gamely onto the elevator, giving the man a straight-faced glare. 

 

She kept silent on the ride down until Sam broke the silence with a “Hey, I’m—”

 

“I’m very aware of just who you are, and in case it passed your attention— I’m not interested. Not really sure who would be interested in some guy who for all I know travels on the elevator all day waiting for some poor soul who just didn’t want to take the stairs to fall into their trap. Not only that but assuming the girl you’re hitting on is supposed to be interested in you because you think it’s complimentary to look her up and down before talking to her is not only derogatory but homophobic as well. How do you know I’m straight? You could have just offended someone’s way of life simply by assuming you’re all that and deserve someone’s name and number.” Sam was gaping at MJ who had stated this entire speech with her usual uninterested tone, not even bothering to look in Sam’s direction, “Do you realize you just set my belief that men were actually emerging from those old ways of hitting on anything that breathes? You’re lucky I’m dating Peter already, or I think you may have just turned me off of men in general. And I’m already fifty-fifty on them,” the doors open on the floor MJ needed and she stepped off without another word, leaving a deep red and shocked Sam on the elevator, who just allowed Friday to continue his trip downstairs without comment, though he could almost feel the AI judging him. 

 

Bucky definitely did but agreed with Sam that Parker’s girlfriend was definitely the scariest Avenger. 


	21. Dance Party #1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is this

It wasn’t often that Tony let Peter have control of the lab, but today was a special circumstance… Pepper was working, and Morgan was teething. And the kid had MJ over, so Tony felt that was extra insurance that Peter wouldn’t be able to screw anything up.  Besides, Friday knew not to listen to Peter’s puppy dog eyes, and lock the super corrosive chemicals away from the teenager. 

 

_ But god, he’s not going to be a teenager for much longer, is he?  _ And it was killing him, that thought. Tony was enjoying all the time he now got to see the kid after missing him for five years and felt like he might burst with pride whenever he noticed how grown up the kid was. It was during times witnessing Peter as Spider-Man or making his aunt sit down during dinners so he could do the serving and later the dishes. It was when he saw Peter give his girlfriend big, moony eyes before giving her a kiss, or when he was playing with Morgan and repeated her screeching baby babble just to make her laugh. It was when the boy stood next to him at his wedding, standing just beside Rhodey and giving him a huge smile, and when he grinned at him during lab time, and the dimples in his cheeks stretched further than they had over the baby fat the kid had still been sporting a year ago. It made Tony’s heart pull to see his kid growing into such a good man, that it kind of boggled his mind when Peter also continued to act like a bratty teenager. 

Well, alright, not bratty, but the kid was honestly a complete mess sometimes. If MJ wasn’t around to keep the kid on his own two feet, Peter would probably spend most of his time face down on the floor, Spidey reflexes be damned. 

 

Which was why, as Tony was stepping out of Morgan’s room and taking the first few steps back down to the lab, that he paused and cocked his head to the side to try and listen closer to the noise emanating from the next floor. It wasn’t odd for the lab to generally be a place Tony blasted music, but it was less likely when Peter was there, as the kid had sensitive ears and most times couldn't handle the level of music Tony played. But there was definitely music playing,  _ loudly.  _

Taking another few steps down, Tony tries to figure out the song before he got to the door, but he didn’t recognize the song. It sounded... _ punky _ . Tony shuddered as he caught the twangy sounds of a guitar and heavy drums. Yeah, that was punk music, what the hell was Friday doing?

 

Tony entered the lab, letting the music wash over him, “Kid, don’t you remember what I told you about my music?” he looked up as the song seemed to be ending and stood a little gobsmacked. 

 

MJ had apparently come down to entertain herself (or Peter, but really with this chick it was hard to tell) and was standing in the center of the floor space cleared away. She was panting and grinning, her hair up in a top knot and wearing some fluffy one-piece pajamas that were trying to resemble a giraffe. Peter, was also in a pair of onesie pajamas, only his were suspiciously Spider-Man themed as he stood on the table, clearly mid-air guitar solo. He looked up as Tony entered and rather than going the familiar cherry red colour Tony was used to in potentially embarrassing moments, Peter grinned and waved.

 

“Hey Mr. Stark, we were just having a dance party!”

 

Tony frowned and looked back and forth between the two, both grinning widely and flushed. MJ looked to be hopping back and forth on her toes while Peter pretended (like a complete nerd) to toss his ‘guitar’ over his shoulder. “You two were dancing?”

 

“Yup,” MJ says, her grin still in place, something Tony hasn’t seen this often since the first time she met Morgan, “Peter’s the only one I know who likes to dance and not care about what he looks like.”

 

Tony rolls his eyes, “That sounds right,” he mumbled and goes back to his workspace and waves the two on, “whatever, continue your dancing, just don’t let U join, he’ll probably try to jump and he broke himself last time he did that.”

 

Peter grins at him before pointing to one of Friday’s cameras, “Hit it Fri!”

 

The next song comes on, and MJ  _ squeals _ . Tony startles and whips around to see the girl jump up once in clear glee and begin dancing immediately. Peter is laughing already and begins wiggling around too. Tony had never seen two people enjoy music so much without being drunk. He begins listening to the song, sort of recognizing it but it was blurry. Then he  _ really  _ heard the lyrics and gave Peter such a dad look, Peter was already laughing at him.

 

“The fuck is this shit you listen to Parker?”

 

“It  _ Centerfold _ Tony, it’s a good song,” Peter says and hops off the table. MJ is doing a wiggling jumping motion before singing along to the guitar riff at the same time as Peter, neither having to think before doing so. 

 

“It’s a dirty song, kid, you’re sensitive ears must be bleeding.” Peter glares while MJ barks out a laugh and calls for Friday to play the next song. The next is another punk song, and this time Peter laughs gleefully and grabs MJ by the waist to hoist her up on the same table he had been on. Tony can only watch in bemusement as the normally stoic girl immediately picks up an air microphone and begins singing the lyrics like she wrote them herself. 

 

“ _ I’m in the business of misery, let’s take it from the top…” _

 

Tony admits to himself she didn’t sound half bad, but the cringey early 2000’s lyrics were killing his insides, “You cannot be serious,” he says to the ceiling and receives a factual “Yes Boss” from Friday. He manages to ignore this song but looks over when the next song ends up being AC/DC. He thinks maybe the kid only did it to appease him, but he’s grateful either way.

 

MJ is breathing hard from her power ballad, but takes Peter’s hand down. Tony hides a smile when Peter immediately pulls his girlfriend in, obviously surprising her as she lets out a laugh. When the beat starts, Peter begins dancing around with her in his arms, spinning her in and out a few times as he mouths the lyrics to ‘Shook Me All Night Long”, before they each jump away and dance around like little kids once again. Tony almost feels like he should be offended his music is being used for such behaviour but it's nice to see them so relaxed. They’ve both been so high strung with school it’s a good change for them. 

 

They once again barely take a breath before the next song begins, but this time it’s so soft and magical sounding it could only be…

 

“ _ I’ve been staring at the edge of the water, long as I can remember…”  _  Fucking Disney. And fuck Michelle Jones for fucking singing it well enough that Tony can’t beg them to turn it off on account of their terrible singing. But then  _ Peter starts singing _ and Tony is so shocked by the fact his own son can sing too that he just plains stops working and watches the teenagers. The pair take turns singing the verses, but MJ is the one to hit the last note perfectly and they both bow to one another amongst over-exaggerated clapping. Tony is sitting with his head in his hands as they giggle and the next song starts up. And it’s the fucking  _ Spice Girls _ .

 

MJ gives Tony a ‘you deserve this’ look, and Tony sort of regrets always calling the girl Scary Spice. The pair begin singing the song word for word.

 

“Kid, I swear to god, I will record you and post it to twitter. You look ridiculous.”

 

Peter sticks his tongue out between singing, “ _ taking is too easy, but that’s the way it is!” _ and MJ singing the ‘rap’ part. Tony groans and begs, “Please, stop, this is too much,”

 

“No one asked you to stay for the dance party Stark. We were here first,” MJ says as the doors suddenly open again to the sound of “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”. Natasha is looking around the lab in amusement as she tracks the shameless teenagers singing to the song as they spin each other around, headbang, and generally move around freely. 

 

“Who invited these two?” She jokes as she goes to stand next to Tony and watch the still dancing couple. 

 

Tony snorts, “Not me, apparently. I was just being told I wasn’t welcome.” Natasha rolls her eyes at his pout and enjoys the show some more. 

 

“You’re just mad that you don’t know any of these songs. You’ve been stuck in one decade too long,” Tony nudges her side just enough to jostle her but she pretends it didn’t affect her balance, “you know, musically.”

 

“Oh and you know this song?” Tony asked just as the next song begins on a four-note piano riff and Peter and MJ’s heads snap up as they become shockingly still. Natasha smirks and begins to sing/speak with them as the song begins,

 

_ “When I was. A young boy. My father. Took me into the city. To see a marching band…” _

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me, Romanoff.”

  
  



	22. A garden wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Pepperony wedding occurs... finally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know my updates have been coming in pretty quickly... and it's honestly because I'm trying to finish up this part of the story. I'd always thought I was going to stick everything in one fic, but I also know super long fics don't get as many newcomers. So, this fic will continue until Morgan's first birthday (ish) and when MJ and Peter... do something... but not that, perverts. 
> 
> I'll of course let you know when it'll show up and what it's called, but until then, please continue to enjoy this one!

The Stark wedding was an astonishingly quiet affair, with friends and family members invited to an early morning reception in the garden of the Stark plot, and luncheon to follow. The Avengers were all there, including the newly appointed Avengers that spent most of their time in space, so Peter was ecstatic to see old friends again. 

 

He was currently dragging MJ around, saying hello to as many people as he could before they reached the tiny sandwich table that MJ had been eyeing up for the past ten minutes of mingling. He was just stopping in front of the now giant tree guy, Groot, when MJ snapped her hand out of his and made a dash for the sandwiches.

 

Sputtering a laugh, Peter yelled out to her, “I see where your allegiance lies, Jones!” he only received a quick flash of a certain finger before she was stuffing a plate full for herself. He was about to make another joke when the beautiful bride herself came rushing up next to MJ and snatched a sandwich off her plate. Peter held his breath but released it when MJ just shrugged and offered Pepper the other half before moving down to the next table. 

 

Peter heard a familiar laugh from behind him, and found Tony coming to stand next to him, “Have we been starving them or something?”

 

“I mean, I literally made Pepper a pot of soup last night at, like, 3 AM,” Peter says, also a little lost to what had gotten into the two women. Tony hums, shrugging his shoulders like he was ok with this mystery being unsolved. Especially when Aunt May came over to them with his daughter in her arms, looking to bestow the small adorable burden onto someone else. 

 

“Take your spawn Stark, I’m getting a sandwich,” May says and hurries off with one last kiss to Morgan’s head. 

 

“Seriously, did we put some kind of female catnip in those sandwiches?” Tony hollars after her but doesn’t receive anything back. Peter chuckles but is quickly taken in by his little sister babbling up at him, waving her hand around to gain attention. 

 

"I have a feeling it's more to do with these dresses. Even I'm thinking those sandwiches look really good right now," Natasha states as she appears next to Tony, leaning in to smile at Morgan. Peter nods, noting that the similarities between all four women are the wedding dress and matching bridesmaid dresses. Huh.

 

"I feel much better about my tux now, Mr. Stark," Peter pipes up, gaining a smirk from Nat as well as a snort from Tony.

 

"Yeah I bet, kid. Why don't you be a gentleman and go hold your girlfriend's heaping plate before her arm breaks off." 

 

Peter grins, "I think we both know MJ would rather have her arm fall off than admit she needs help carrying something, Mr. Stark," Tony rolls his eyes but makes no comment, well aware of how true that statement is. He still watches his kid lop off to the table next to the three dressed-up women, sweeping his girlfriend's hair over her shoulder before laying a kiss there, and taking the plate out of her hands in the next second. MJ falls for the sleight of hand a second too late to be able to stop Peter and ends up throwing her arm out in a feeble attempt to catch him before he's scampering off with loud laughter following him. 

 

Natasha is chuckling as well, watching the teens (though they weren't going to be teens for much longer, MJ turning nineteen in another month, and Peter a month after that), " Your kids sure are something else, Tony." 

 

Tony smiles softly, eyes roving back to see Pepper watching the teens take chase with a smile on her face as well, "Yeah, I lucked out,"

 

Natasha's smile softens as Morgan stretches in her dad's arms, getting tuckered out from all the activity. She reaches over and untucked the little girl from Tony's arms and gently transfers her to her own, "Why don't you go and dance with your wife, Stark? I'll watch your brood," Tony gives her a smile and allows Morgan to be transferred, making his way over to said lovely wife and whisking her off to the dance floor they’d had set up by the lake. Natasha happily sways back and forth, letting her littlest niece drift off in her arms, as she looks on as her newly eldest nephew takes his own partner and follow his dad onto the dance floor. Natasha is happy to stay where she is, watching as more and more of her found family begins to enjoy the dance, all happy and smiling, and Natasha couldn’t think of anywhere else she would rather be. 


	23. Twitter Famous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :)

The week after Peter and MJ’s first red carpet debut was blessedly a week off from school, due to a water main break down the road. While this was a great thing, according to Peter, it was now the next Monday and school was back in session. And it was not such a good thing.

 

“It’s going to be even worse now! Everyone at school has had time to stew in the fact we were on TV, and in magazines, and on Buzzfeed!” Peter was ranting as he paced back and forth… on the ceiling. MJ calmly flipped a page of her book, not bothering to dignify her boyfriend’s ranting with a reply. 

 

Tony shook his head, “Kid, you’re going to school, end of discussion.”

 

“Mr. Stark! What if —” Pepper cuts him off this time, handling Morgan as the little girl wiggles and giggles.

 

“Peter Benjamin, if you’re not out that door in the next two minutes, I’m going to keep you here all night as prisoner, and you won’t be able to try out the new updates Tony was telling me he set into Karen…” The whole while Pepper was talking, Tony watched Peter’s eyes grow wider; first in worry, then in wonderment, then in a tiny sliver of terror. Next thing knew, the kid was twiping a web towards his backpack, jumping to the ground and booking it to the elevator. 

 

The doors opened and closed, the last thing the three other occupants of the room saw being Peter’s hand-worried hair sticking out of the hoodie he was still trying to slip over his head. Everyone was silent, watching the elevators for a full minute before the tiny red number on the side paused, stopped, and began to climb back up. 

 

The doors opened again to reveal a beet red Peter, still holding his backpack upside down and his hair a mess, but the hoodie was now on, “I, uh, forgot something,”

 

“You think?” MJ asks deadpan, flipping another page in her book, as Peter grabs her backpack and she finally stands to join him.

 

—

 

The young couple watch their school doors, both a little gobsmacked at the amount of people milling around outside. Happy can be heard grumbling from the front seat as he maneuvers his way nearer the door, stopping abruptly enough that even Peter lurches forward. 

"Damn roaches," Happy mutters to himself, unbuckling his seatbelts as he does so he can turn to face the teens in the backseat. "Alright you two, here's how we're going to do this, I'm going out first incase anyone tries to rush forward. Peter, you're out next, but stay close to the car, let MJ out behind you, and MJ you close the door as quick as you can. We're all walking up to the door, and —"

 

"Aw, Happy, no, we don't need to be escorted to the door! It’s ten feet away…"

 

"Yes, kid, you do. I don't know who these people are, and I can only assume that if they aren't allowed in your school, they can't all be friendly." 

 

"Can't you just watch us from the car, and only step in if we get body checked?"

 

" _ No _ ," 

 

"Happy, please? This is already embarrassing enough,"

 

"Peter," MJ sighs, and Peter looks at her with worry, "if it gets us into the building, can't we just listen to Hogan, just this once?"

 

Peter watches her closely, aware that she has up until now been uncharacteristically quiet. Her eyes are pinched at the corners, he notes her hair has been thrown up in a messy bun, and she's stolen another one of his sweaters. 

 

"Okay," he relents without another word, ignoring Happy’s bemused look. Peter does in fact wait for Happy to get out first, and is really just instantly happy that he did. The moment Happy Hogan, Iron Man’s bodyguard made himself known, the swarm of people immediately, er, _ swarmed _ . 

 

“Jeez,” MJ mutters and grabs Peter’s hand in hers, something Peter takes with a smothered grin, not wanting to chase her off. 

 

“I tried to tell you,”

 

“Shut up,” MJ murmurs, still not releasing his hand. The pushy press is still outside, and Happy looks like he’s getting overwhelmed, “maybe I should have put up more of a fight this morning. Stark would have broken if I pulled those puppy-dog eyes of yours.”

 

Peter gives her a wrinkled nose look, “I don’t even know what that means.”

 

“It means I’ve been around you weirdos for too long. Let’s go,” MJ says as she shimmies closer to the door, but Peter stops her.

 

“MJ, wait,” she looks at him with a small frown, and Peter can already feel his cheeks growing warm, “I’m going first.”

 

MJ looks at him like he’s sprouted another head, “Excuse me?”

 

“Not! N-not that I think I have to, like, protect you or something, but like, I feel…” MJ raises an eyebrow, looking both unimpressed and amused, “ok, I feel like I need to protect you. But it’s all the stupid spider’s fault, not my weird masculine need to protect. Shove over,” he pushes past her to the door, ignoring the chuffing laughter coming from his girlfriend. Peter taps on the window near Happy’s elbow and the man takes a second to turn enough to open the door.

 

The sound is intense. So bad in fact that MJ recoils into the car a bit more. People are shouting his name, and snapping pictures. A few microphones are being shoved in his face, but he dodges them, ignoring everyone entirely and keeping as straight a face as he can in the face of a sensory overload. Peter doesn’t waste time in handing MJ out of the car behind him, keeping her hand tightly in his. MJ, for the first time ever, does not fight this sign of pda, but keeps very close to him and her face down so no camera can catch her. Pepper had taught her well, just like Tony had taught him. Happy walked with them all the way up to the main step of the school, where Principal Morita was standing, hand out and ready to escort them inside. The press and paps stopped at the steps, clearly aware enough that they were very legally unable to go any further. The entire time, Happy was shouting at them to back off, and let him drop the kids off. MJ was still stuck to Peter’s back as he all but ran into the building, sighing in relief as soon as the doors closed. MJ stepped away from him, but kept her their hands together. 

 

They both looked up and finally noticed the usually bustling front entrance of their high school was dead quiet. Which was odd, seeing as there was easily fifty kids crowded around one another, staring at them with wide eyes and more than one phone raised in the air.

 

Groaning, MJ shot a glare at them as a whole group, “If I catch a single video or picture from any of you floating around, I warn you, I am getting very close with the SI legal team.”

 

The students scatter, as does the principal but neither really care. They both looked at one another and seem to realize just how hellish this day was going to be.

 

—

 

Six hours later, and the couple were being escorted back to the car by Happy, but with Ned in tow this time around. There weren’t as many people waiting to catch them leaving this time around, but Peter was too exhausted to try and figure out why. He allowed MJ to crawl in first and practically pushed Ned in too before ducking in  and slamming the door shut. Happy was only a second behind him and wasted no time in peeling out of there. 

 

All three teens breathed out heavily, “That was insane,” Peter groans, his head already in his hands. 

 

Ned was still sort of wide eyed and shocked, “Your life is crazy, dude,”

 

Peter sort of chuckles, nudging MJ with his elbow, “Yeah,  _ our _ life is nuts.”

—

 

The remainder of the night, Ned spent most of his time fanboying over the amount of press coverage Peter and MJ were getting since the morning of the hellish school drop off. Ned was very happy to report that the pictures of them from the gala a week earlier were circulating more now than last week, now that people were realizing the couple were ‘real people’. Peter and MJ tried desperately to ignore their friend, but found they also couldn’t just watch their movies and forget anything had happened.   

 

MJ was becoming all too aware of how hard this was going to get, and found herself sat on an overstuffed cloud couch on one of the highest floors of a billionaire’s  _ tower _ , feeling like she was about to have an existential crisis. What was she doing? This wasn’t like her at all; she knew she was destined for some type of high stress job in her future, but she always thought it would be more like involvement in New York’s government body, or an influential opinionated journalist. Not because she was dating the future of  _ Stark Industries _ .

 

“Em?” Peter’s voice was very hushed as he whispered into her ear. MJ tried not to jump, but he shocked her from her thoughts. She chanced a look over at Ned to find their friend too invested in his phone to care they were talking.

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“How are you?” MJ snorts, muffling the noise into her sleeve before she could stop herself. 

 

“What is this? Our first date? What’s with the small talk, loser?” She looks over at Peter to see a soft look in his eyes as he watches her, “what?”

 

“I was worried you were going to change your mind. Not that I’d blame you, this whole thing is pretty ridiculous.” Peter rambles a bit, but keeps whispering to keep their conversation private, which MJ appreciates from him.

 

“Peter,” Peter stops and looks at her again, his puppy eyes down turned and a bit scared, “I love you,”

 

His eyes grow wide instantly, and his jaw drops a little bit, “You do?”

 

MJ can feel her cheeks growing warm, but flattens her expression as best she can, though her chest feels like its about to explode, “Yes, loser, I do.”

 

Peter’s matching grin is so wide MJ swears he makes another dimple show up, “Awesome,”

 

Now she rolls her eyes, “Gee thanks,”

 

“No! Wait! Sorry, I didn’t mean to— I mean I— uh, I, Well you know that— I LOVE YOU TOO.” Peter looks so stressed about that MJ can’t help but burst out laughing, falling to the side and inconveniently landing on Ned’s feet. Their friend looks up from his phone with a large, feral grin.

 

“You two are precious,” Peter seems to notice Ned’s phone not-so-subtly pointed at them and squawks. 

 

“Ned! Tell me you didn’t get that!”

 

“Please tell me you did,” MJ says, brushing a tear from her cheek. Ned nods sagely and receives the highest of fives that MJ could manage from her crumpled position on the couch. Peter groans, letting his head fall into his hands. MJ is still giggling when she sits up and gives her boyfriend’s curly head a kiss.

 

“That’ll be one we show your sister when she gets older, and asks why boys are so awkward around her.”

 

Peter looks up to glare at her, but she can see from the little squinty eyes he gives her that he’s just as happy right now as she is, “Tony would never let her even know that questions should exist if he can get away with it.”

 

MJ shrugged, “Pepper and I will team up against him, he’ll have nothing to back his claim.” 

 

Ned shakes his head from his still reclined position across the couch from them, “That child will grow up to either run the world or own it the way you four parent her.” A suspicious ding sounds off from his phone that has MJ looking over at him suspiciously.

 

“Leeds, you better not have…”

 

Ned tried to look innocent, “What do you mean?”

 

MJ doesn’t answer him, “Friday, where’d Ned send that video?”

 

It only takes a millisecond, but it’s still a millisecond too long, “Mr. Leeds has loaded the video file to his personal Twitter account, Miss Jones."

 

"NED!" Both shouted at their friend who was sitting in the corner with wide eyes and his hands up like he was trying not to get shot.

 

“What?! It was a cute video, I just thought it would be fun to post for our friends to see…”

 

“On Twitter?! Ned, we’re literally trending right now! Pepper is going to skin you!” Peter was panicking and Ned’s eyes were only getting rounder.

 

MJ was glaring, “We’re supposed to be keeping a low profile. Tony doesn’t want Peter flaunted around on the internet, Leeds.”

 

“B-but, everyone was already...Sheesh, ok, I’ll take it down!” Ned’s pouts as he opens the Twitter app again to do just that, but freezes.

 

“Ned…” Peter groans, feeling a know tighten in his gut.

 

“So…” Ned drops his phone into his lap, “it seems like a few people have already reposted the video.”

 

MJ’s glare only deepens, to the point where Peter tries to slide away from her, “How. Many.”

 

“...a couple hundred…”

 

“WHAT?!” MJ yells and snatches up her own phones, opens her Twitter and looks up Ned’s page right away to find a lot of their classmates from Midtown have indeed viewed and reposted the video. MJ drops her phone down for Peter to scoop up to look for himself, and then immediately groans and looks up at the ceiling.

 

“Friday, call Pepper!” 


	24. Dance Party #2 (Avengers)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MJ and Peter repeatedly express their dance skills to the befuddlement of the Avengers.

After graduation, MJ really took to having a ‘home’ life. She still technically lived with her mom and Lainey, but she really spent all her time at the Tower or in May’s apartment; wherever Peter was laying his head for the night. Pepper was still angling for her to start helping her in the whole CEO department, but MJ was enjoying herself for now. 

 

At the moment, it was eight in the morning, and MJ was stationed in the kitchen in front of the Stark’s oven, cooking eggs for an army. For some reason, cooking breakfast had fallen to MJ for the Tower’s private floor occupants, and as she had yet to complain, no one revoked this sentencing. 

 

But she found it nice— Michael Buble was on the speakers’ thanks to Friday, none of the eggs were burned, the sky was a bright blue, and no one else was awake yet. So, she started to sing and dance while the eggs popped. Who wouldn’t in her position?

 

“ _ And don’t forget who’s taking you home, and in who’s arms your gonna be…” _ MJ whispers sang as she didn’t want to wake anyone, but her efforts were seemingly wasted when her super-hearing boyfriend came up behind her. MJ jumped back when she felt his arms winding around her hips, but continued to sway and sing.

 

“ _ Baby, don't you know I love you so, can't you feel it when we touch, I will never, never let you go, I love you oh so much, _ ” She continues, flipping another egg over to the finished plate and cracking a new one on the sizzling pan. Peter’s arms don’t leave her body, and in fact, continues to sway her back and forth. MJ sighs, leaning back into him to enjoy the soft swaying motion and sudden rumbling in his chest when he sings for her during the next couple lines. He presses a kiss into her hair right after, and MJ can’t think of a better scene than this one.

 

“Well, good morning,” Never mind, she can definitely think of a better scenario than freaking Captain-Public-Service-Announcement walking in on her and her boyfriend smooching in the kitchen.

 

Peter, of course, leans away from her, his arms dropping from her hips, making MJ want to growl at the Captain, “Morning sir, hungry?” 

 

Steve chuckles warmly at the young man, “I’m always hungry, son,” Peter grins and grabs a plate to serve up a heaping plate for their first customer. MJ laments the loss of her free time but knew this interruption was coming. Friday had a whole new playlist for this very moment.

 

“Next list, Friday,” MJ says, flipping another batch of eggs onto the hotplate, and begins the next batch. ‘Good as Hello’ shuffles on first and MJ is immediately delighted. She’s singing before she can stop herself and popping along while sh stands sentry by the eggs. She can hear Peter mouthing along to the words and an occasional chuckle when she shimmies purposefully against him as he passes. 

 

“Music sure has changed,” Steve says shaking his head, giving Peter a nod when a plate is put in front of him, “in my day, most songs were made for specific dances.”

 

Peter shrugs, jumping up onto the counter to grab a glass before jumping back down, “Some songs are still made for dances. They just aren’t the type of dances you did.”

 

Steve snorts, “No kidding! I’ve seen the kind of dancing you kids do nowadays. Not sure I’d even call it dancing,”

 

MJ looks over her shoulder at the soldier, “Oh? Can’t appreciate the new art forms in this decade, grandpa?”

 

Steve throws a chunk of an egg at her, but she avoids it pretty easily, “Wiggling around is  _ not  _ dancing. I bet you two don’t even know what a waltz is. I’m telling you, kids today are already forgetting classic dances.”

 

MJ smirks, looks over at Peter who is watching Steve with a grin he can’t seem to keep in. Probably all the ‘kids’ comments, “Whataya say, Parker? Should we show this geezer he doesn’t know what he’s talking about?”

 

Peter looks over at her in surprise, but smiles and steps over to her, wrapping an arm around her again, while the other switches off the stovetop, “Miss Jones, I would be delighted to take you up on your offer.” 

 

MJ rolls her eyes fondly, “Whatever loser, hit the Buble again Fri!” This time, ‘Moondance’ turns on and Peter immediately pulls MJ into his side, her own arm crossed over her body and trapped in his hand. MJ feels a kiss pressed into her hair again before she is spun out, and the steps come to her flawlessly, like they’d been dancing just like this all morning. Peter took her for a spin all around the large kitchen island, both twisting and turning during the music box steps. MJ chanced a glance at Steve to see him watching them with his mouth open and a very confused frown. It makes her want to laugh so she lets a freeing laugh bubble out of her, making Peter smile widely down at her. She receives a spin out and in for it, and they finish the song back at the stove again, resuming the eggs as soon as the last few notes play.

 

Peter looks over his shoulder at Steve with a smile, barely out of breath, “More eggs, sir?” 

—

The dancing continued that day, when Bucky found the two of them in the living room, stood right in front of the tv, and glared down at them. MJ was not so easily swayed and glared right back. Bucky only held the glare a few seconds longer before cracking and releasing his crossed arms and frown.

 

“Stevie is spouting lies about you two, and I need to get to the bottom of it.” MJ and Peter cocked their heads to the side together, like a basket of kittens watching a string.

 

“About what?” Peter asks, and Bucky almost rolls his eyes and the ludicrous lie.

 

“He’s telling me you two know how to dance, but I’ve seen Parker here dance on the job, and there’s no way that Spidey-butt can do that.”

 

MJ is  _ very _ amused now, “We  _ can _ dance, Bucky,” Peter nods along, his arm around MJ’s shoulders giving her a squeeze. 

 

Bucky glares at him, “ _ Prove it, _ ”

 

Peter shrugs, “Hit it Fri,” and pulls MJ up before she can say a thing. 

 

‘Twist and Shout’, classic Beatles, begins and MJ feels herself being tossed over the side of the couch to the more open area of the living room, and starts twisting. Really, it’s not a hard dance, but Peter likes to perform when they’re dancing, so she’s ready when he flips her, spinning her back in, and continuing to twist in sync with her. They don’t dance the whole song this time, as Bucky is watching them with a screwed up face and storms off, leaving the young couple in stitches on the couch. 

—

Natasha and Wanda find themselves seeking out Morgan that afternoon, wanting to see if Pepper would let them babysit for a few hours while the poor mom got some work done. Rather than ask Friday, the two decide to go up to Stark’s floor unannounced, both pretty sure MJ will at least be there to point them in the right direction. 

 

What they’re not expecting is the adorable eight-month-old propped up between two plush cushions on the couch, giggling at her older brother as he performs perfect pirouettes in the center of the room for her. Peter completes a circuit then stops to applaud himself, much to the amusement of Morgan who tries to copy the movement but looks more like she’s swatting flies in front of her face. 

 

Natasha applauds as well, smirking when Peter’s cheeks go red when he notices his audience had become bigger, but the boy bows anyway, hamming it up for the group.

 

—

 

Sam leans over the couch above Peter, poking the younger man in the shoulder over and over, repeating himself like a three-year-old, “Come on! Do it! Please?”

 

MJ enters the room with a book in hand, looking confused at the scene she walked into, “Sam, what on Earth are you doing?”

 

Sam looks up with a small guilty smile, “Bucky told me the Spider-kid can dance, and I wanna see it. Nat said you did  _ ballet _ too,” Peter rolls his eyes and continues to play on his phone, not at all bothered by Sam’s bugging. 

 

MJ just tosses her book on the couch next to Peter, “Oh, if you just wanted to see dancing…”

 

“Hit it, Fri!” Peter says from his spot, not even looking up from his phone as Cardi B plays and MJ begins a short hip hop routine she’d done just the other day when she and Peter had a dance batttle (yes, they are adults, thank you). It’s short and sweet, but Sam is still looking back and forth from the two young adults in confusion and awe. 

—

Tony is the last to ask them about their dancing all day, and why the hell he had half the team trying to convince him his son was a pro dancer.

 

“Steve wouldn’t let it go, kid. Please explain why he thinks you two are professional dancers.” 

 

Peter just shrugs and pulls MJ closer with a tug on her hand, “All right. Friday?”

 

Another song pops up from the list, and MJ and Peter begin doing the  _ cha-cha _ . They span most of the lab with their dance, and as far as Tony can tell, it’s not a practiced routine. They just  _ dance _ . And he’s confused.

 

“Friday? When did this happen?” 

 

“Miss Jones and Peter both realized they had dance backgrounds a few months ago and thought it fun to go to a dance class together again. They’ve enjoyed it, I believe.”

 

Tony watches his son and a girl he is beginning to think of as another daughter dance around the lab, looking to the world like professionals, but having so much fun he hates to stop them.

 

“Save this, please, Fri.”

 

“Of course, Boss. In the usual ‘Spider Baby’ folder?”

 

Tony smiles thickly, “Nah, let’s make a new one. Call it— “Parker-Jones.”

 

Friday pauses, “I think you mean Jones-Parker, Boss.”

 

Tony coughs a laugh out, “Yeah, I bet you're right. All right, Jones-Parker it is. Keep this one on the down-low, Fri."

 

"Noted, Boss."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I've gone a bit crazy and planned, like... four new parts to make this thing a series?! Like I have time for this, but I guess strap in if you're interested


	25. Jones-Parker-Stark playdate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm rollin' now baby! Handed in my last assignment of the term, so I'm in Christmas mode now! That also means more writing time :)

August 10th seemed to roll around quicker that year than the last, especially since this year there was no pregnant Pepper Potts for everyone to be on call for incase the woman had needed anything in her final two months of carrying a baby. MJ was excitedly bundling up at the door of the Parker apartment, wrapping a light scarf around her neck and pulling her jean jacket up over her shoulders. 

 

“Let’s go, loser! We’re going to be late!” MJ yelled into the apartment as she bent over to tie up her boots. Slow shuffling could finally be heard as she switched to the second boot, signalling the movement of her boyfriend in his bedroom. “I’m about to go out the door now,” she calls again, and the shuffling does get a little faster, but he still hasn’t surfaced. By the time she is upright and trying to locate her purse, Peter finally makes it to the end of the hall to meet her by the door.

He is grumpily dragging his jacket behind him, taking exaggerated slumping steps as he grumbles over to her. MJ watches all of this, looking very unimpressed while trying to desperately not laugh in his face. Apparently, Spider-boys really did not like getting woken up before six on their birthdays. 

 

“It’s still cold out before the sun rises, Parker. Can you handle only one jacket?” MJ asks and receives another grumpy frown from her boyfriend before he snags her own hoodie from the hook behind her. Shrugging into this first and then his heavier jacket he’d brought from his room, Peter looked a little warmer, and perhaps a little happier. “Better?”

 

“No. You’re mean in the morning. And on my birthday!” Peter grumbles, but sticks his feet into his boots without bothering to tie them. MJ sighs but does her girlfriend duty and helps him tie them so he doesn’t face plant on the stars. 

 

“I think you already know I’m  _ very nice _ in the morning, especially since it’s your birthday,” MJ purrs, looking up from tying his shoes. Peter clears his throat, grabs his keys and reaches for the door. 

 

“Ready?” He asks, ignoring MJ as she stands and grabs her own set of keys to add to her purse.

 

“I’ve been ready, loser. Let’s go,” 

 

The next hour was a bit hellish, as Peter came to realize New York apparently was not as dead at six a.m. as he was. Their commute to Stark Tower took much longer than he anticipated, and his short lived cheery attitude was sinking fast. MJ had taken to ignoring him, aside for holding his bouncing leg down, to pay attention to the book she was reading. 

 

Once they actually made it to the Tower, Peter was shivering and jumping around, trying to get feeling back into his toes and fingers. MJ had thought much further ahead, and handed him a pair of gloves. August really shouldn’t make most people this cold, but the shitty weather on top of a certain Spider-kid’s inability to thermoregulate, caused MJ to be ready for cold-not cold situations. 

They didn’t even make it to the doors, as they burst open to reveal a tiny blur of brown and purple barreling out and tackling the couple.

 

“PETEY!” Morgan Stark was an unstoppable force apparently, as the Amazing Spider-Man crumbled to the ground under his sister’s attack, “‘ppy Bir-day!” 

 

Peter coughs from his new position beneath his sister’s sharp elbows, “Thanks Morgan baby,” 

 

Morgan wiggles around enough to allow Peter to pick himself up with her still in his arms, and a hand down to help MJ up from the ground, “How many?” she sticks all her ten fingers up, looking at him expectantly. MJ scoffs beside him, rolling her eyes at the highly advanced ten-month-old that already understands numbers. Peter grins at the little girls and holds up on of his hand and nudges MJ to help him out. She raises one of her hands to show all five fingers while Peter lowers his thumb. Morgan’s wide brown eyes grown impossibly bigger as she counts all their combined fingers together until she reaches nineteen.

 

“DADDY!” Morgan screeches, trying to turn in Peter’s arms to gain her father’s attention. Luckily for her, both Tony and Pepper were watching the encounter with barely hidden snickers as their daughter talked with their son. 

 

“Yes, baby?” Tony asks, and Morgan holds out her hands higher for them to see.

 

“Petey is nineteen Daddy! We needed more than two hands!” 

 

“Daddy did try to tell you, sweetpea,” Pepper says as she finally comes forward with a small bag hanging from her arm and a small jacket. She passes these off to MJ who is also greeted with a quick shared air kiss before she kisses the side of Peter’s hair. “Now, give Daddy one last hug, then you can go have fun with Petey and MJ today,”

 

“Ok, Mommy,” Morgan says and requests being put down by wiggling like a piece of seaweed which has Peter depoisting her down and watching her toddle to Tony, who is waiting with his arms open for her. 

 

“You’ll probably get her to last until noon if you’re lucky. Tony managed to keep her in bed until 6:30,” Pepper whispers and MJ nods, making a note to keep the two geniuses on a time constraint before they both needed a nap.

 

“Lucky,” Peter grumbles but switches to a “I love you,” when he sees MJ giving him a glare. Pepper laughs at their antics and calls Morgan back over.

 

“Alright Morgan, have a good day out with Peter and MJ. Don’t eat too much sugar remember, we’re having cake later. But only if you’re a good girl for your brother,” Morgan nods through all of this, taking instruction like a champ as she lets MJ’s pulls her jacket onto her, and zip her up. Peter swoops the little girl up in his arms and the trio gives the Stark’s goodbye waves before jumping into the waiting town car. 

 

—

 

MJ had planned to take Morgan (and Peter) to the same places she and Lainey had enjoyed together when her sister was tiny too. The park by her old apartment building, walking the street in front of the library to catch a particular hot dog vendor that always gave out free licorice whips. And finish their morning on the pier, giving the little girl a small cloud of cotton candy before releasing the toddler back to her parents.

 

Instead, Peter Benjamin Parker turned into the mushiest older brother in the history of older brothers.  They immediately went to the pier, despite MJ trying to tell Peter it was too cold to go there right away. He rushed off with a giggling Morgan, with MJ walking behind them rolling her eyes and getting out the blanket from Morgan’s bag. It took 2.5 minutes for Peter to come running back with a shivering Morgan in his own shivering arms. MJ burrito wrapped the little girl and took her boyfriend’s hand to lead them into a little strip mall to browse around until the sun rose a bit more. 

 

Once they could safely make their way onto the pier, Morgan was less hyper and more willing to walk between MJ and Peter with one or both of her hands being held by them. Peter kept stopping at every game Morgan pointed at, especially when there was a prize she wanted to hold and would win it for her (definitely by using some Spider powers). MJ was currently holding three different shaped and sized unicorns while Peter was working towards another. After Unicorn #4, Peter paused to play one last game and sheepishly handed over a little stuffed Spider-Man doll with comically adorable eyes.  She couldn’t help giving him a kiss. Sue her. It’s his birthday.

 

After all the games, Morgan began grumbling about her tummy hurting, so it was MJ’s turn to take control and lead her ducklings to a brunch place just off the pier. She ordered Morgan a plate of pancakes and blueberries, staying far away from strawberries (just in case - no one was willing to get the girl checked for an allergy yet). Peter sat across from the girls, making funny faces at Morgan over his own pile of pancakes, making fun of MJ for having  _ waffles _ (“spoil sport, we could have been twinsies!”)and taking pictures of the two whenever he thought they were being cute. So he ended up with a ton of pics. 

 

By the time they were done, MJ was forced to take Morgan into the bathroom to wash the girl off. Morgan spent the time blabbering to MJ about all the fun they had, recalling the events that happened less than half an hour ago, as if MJ was silly to have forgotten already. The two girls made their way back out to the table where they had left Peter, to find him sitting with his back to the window, and his eyes staring at the door. 

 

“We’re all set, Mr. Parker.” MJ says once they’re close enough for her not to have to yell. Morgan is settled comfortably on MJ’s hip, one hand clutching Unicorn #3 and the other around MJ’s neck. Peter looks up to them like she startled him, and MJ is immediately on edge. “What’s up?”

 

Peter’s eyes flicker to Morgan, but he smiles normally, so MJ relaxes a bit, “Nothing, just saw someone outside I thought I recognized.” 

 

MJ looks outside, eyes scanning back and forth for what Peter could mean, but then she sees them. And there’s a lot of them.

 

“Shoot,” MJ looks down at Morgan, who is having fun making the unicorn prancing up and down her arm, “is the car close by?”

 

Peter shakes his head as he checks his phone, “No, it’s about a block away and can’t get any closer,”

 

MJ swears quietly and slings Morgan’s backpack to Peter, who catches it right away and begins digging inside. As he retrieves their sunglasses, MJ tugs Morgan to her front and drapes the blanket around the girl like a tent, making Morgan giggle and snuggle closer into her chest. MJ smiles down at the baby girl, blowing raspberries against her cheek. Peter stands and hands her a pair of glasses, which she slips on right away, even though they are still inside. Peter puts Morgan’s pale purple sparkly backpack on and makes to take Morgan from her, but she shakes her head.

“She’s already distracted, I can handle her. Just… don’t lose us,” MJ says gravely, but gives him a grin that he rolls his eyes at before putting on his own glasses. Peter checks his phone one last time before he goes to the door. By now, the owner of the shop has come over to ask if they wanted to use the back entrance, as the paparazzi outside have become more incisstant and started taking pictures through the window. Peter rejects the idea, says thanks anyway, and walks out the door. MJ stays as close to him as she can, holding one arm under Morgan and the other holding the blanket up to cover as much of her face as she can. Tony and Pepper still haven’t officially released a picture of Morgan, and weren’t planning to until after she was one. Peter and MJ had been given quite the rundown on how to keep the baby safe if they were ever caught by cameras while out, and thy were going into full safety mode now. 

 

The cameras flashing threw Peter off for a moment, but he was shouldering his way through after the barest of pauses, one hand out to hold onto MJ’s elbow, just making sure they weren’t going to be seperated. 

 

“Peter! Can you tell us anything about your day out?”

 

“Michelle, give us a peek of the baby!”

 

“Peter, what are your plans for joining Stark Industries?”

 

“Peter, give us a smile!”

 

“Michelle, who are you wearing?”

 

“Hey, Michelle, how’d you spend Peter’s birthday?”

 

“Peter!”

 

“Michelle!”

 

“Jesus,” MJ mutters, her hand coming up to cup the back of Morgan’s head as she felt the little girl going very quiet and shrinking in. Peter’s hearing picks up her expletive and hurries. MJ could care less what is being yelled at her, but there’s a baby holding onto her for dear life, and she can feel a distinctly maternal instinct taking over her body. Suddenly, one cameraman gets too close and clips her shoulder, causing MJ to yelp and lose some of her balance. This sets off Morgan, who begins crying earnestly into MJ’s neck. MJ manages to keep the blanket up but lost Peter’s hold on her. She stops to shush the little girl, barely noticing Peter’s loud and angry, “HEY!”

 

The crowd quiets, but the shutters and flashing does not stop. Peter comes back, looking as angry as she’s ever seen him, red faced and glowering at the guy who’d bumped her, “What the fuck is your problem? There’s a  _ baby _ ! That’s a tiny, fragile  _ human being _ in case you’re too thick to know that. Have some common sense, and  _ watch. Your. Self _ .” Peter gently cups MJ’s elbow again and the pair is able to walk out of the crowd, the cameraman at fault receiving quite the glares from passersby on the pier and a quiet hush over the remaining paps. 

 

They reach their car and jump in, closing the door as Peter gets in and being encased in silence, filled only with Morgan’s whimpering. MJ pulls the blanket back from the girl’s head, revealing a red faced, snotty toddler who’s entire day seems to have been ruined.  

 

“Oh Mo, I’m sorry baby,” MJ says, brushing her hand over Morgan’s hair, smoothing the brown fuzzy strands back. Morgan has stopped her whimpering and is reduced to hiccoughs, but can’t seem to stop staring at MJ as she brushes her hair back and runs soothing hands up and down her back. 

 

Peter tosses everything into the bag again as the car begins to move, and turns to collect both girls into his arms, “You ok, MJ?” 

 

MJ scoffs, “Course I’m fine, but give your sister a hug, huh?” Peter smiles and tries to collect Morgan, but the little girl keeps her grip on MJ and just leans into Peter. The couple share a soft look and take turns comforting the baby who is once again putting her trust in them.

 

Once they make it back to the Tower, a furious Pepper is waiting for them, ignoring the stares she is receiving from the public. Peter cringes when he sees her, but doesn't hesitate to get out and take Morgan from MJ so she can follow. As soon as she sees them, Pepper's glare melts and she rushes them. Peter goes to hand off Morgan, but Pepper collapses them both into her arms, placing kisses on whoever's she can reach. Morgan is giggling by the time she's done, and Peter is trying not to look pleased with the attention.

 

"Are you ok? We saw the pictures ten minutes ago. They're circulating almost everywhere already."

 

Peter blushes, "Yeah, I'm sorry Pepper. That guy got too close, I wasn't watching close enough and—"

 

"What guy?" Pepper looks back and forth from MJ and Peter, who gave each other confused looks back.

 

"Some guy ran into me and Morgan...what pictures are you talking about?"

 

"Just the ones from the restaurant— what do you mean someone ran into you?" Pepper was looking more confused, and MJ saw this going nowhere fast so she hustled the small group back into the building to give those people on the sidewalk reprieve from being in the presence of Pepper Stark. 

 

"I— I got really mad at this guy, Pepper. And I know there were pictures being taken, but I basically threatened the guy," Pepper waved her hand like this was nothing.

 

"That happens all the time with Tony, Peter. That's really nothing. I was more worried you didn't have a good day with people following you the whole time."

 

This was when Morgan peaked back up and showed her mom Unicorn #2, who had been squished between her and MJ's chests this whole time, "Look Mommy! Peter got me unicorns!"

 

Pepper looked down softly at her daughter, praising the girls choice and giving the young adults an amused smirk, "so… the day went well then?"

 

MJ smirks, "Sure, but be prepared for Morgan to demand a prize at every carnival game from here on out. Having a super powered big brother sure can make a little girl spoiled."

 


	26. Important Stark family business - Dance Party #3 (kinda)

This wasn’t the first time MJ had sat in on a meeting with Pepper, but it was the first time Pepper had introduced her as her mentee and future heir to the throne. The looks on the corporate monkey’s faces was a visual that would fuel MJ’s dreams for the next year. Wouldn’t they be so excited to learn Tony was announcing Peter’s heir-dom twenty floors lower in the R&D labs. But, she would hear more on that later. For now, she was going to enjoy making these middle-aged white men feel uncomfortable under the Michelle Jones Glare™. Basically, for now, her job was to sit in on as many meetings as she could, and soak up all the Pepper Potts CEO knowledge she could. Pepper was flying out to Japan in a few weeks and would need to leave some things behind for MJ to take care of, as her first official step into assisting the CEO of Stark Industries. Fortunately, MJ was already taking online courses through Brown, and was half a term away from receiving a Bachelors in Legal. Pepper was urging her to continue into a business degree as well, so MJ was working hard to finish this one before the end of the year. 

 

But these monkeys didn’t know that.

 

“In all due respect, Mrs. Stark, how is this decision to seat a woman this young in the legalities of Stark Industries a good idea? There are a great many people who could be taking on your workload when you’re away—”

 

“Sorry to barge in Mr. Bald Eagle,” MJ snarks, not even bothering to look the guy’s way when his hand goes up to touch his very bald head, “But are you insinuating that Ms. Potts is unable to perform to your standards in her own position as the head of this company?”

 

The man was already a bit red-faced, “No, that is not— I mean,”

 

“So, are you suggesting that she is of unsound mind when deciding the future, near and far, of the company she has been running successfully for the past ten years?”

 

He was a bit purple now, and the two men on either side of him were leaning away, “No, miss, I am not. I am just saying,”

 

“Yes, Mr. Eagle?” MJ looks directly at him now, her feet placed back on the floor as she leans in, hands clasped in front of her, “Believe me, I am desperately awaiting your opinion.” The man chokes on his next word and wisely shakes his head, muttering a ‘No, miss, I seemed to have forgotten’. MJ nods, like this is the most profound thing she’s ever heard, “Ah, yes, good point.”

 

She looks around at the rest of the table, leaning back in her chair again, subconsciously miming Pepper’s exact power stance at the same moment, “Anything else? Or can we continue business as usual? Ms. Potts has an eleven o’clock I don’t want her to miss.” No one speaks again, aside from the nervous man who is next to present. Pepper lowers her hands to her lap and sticks out her hand. MJ doesn’t even look down before she fist bumps one of the most powerful women in the world.

 

MJ and Pepper left the meeting an hour later, ten minutes before they were meant to because MJ was a pro at power moves, and closed the glass door behind them.

 

“Walk slowly but with purpose, just so they know they didn’t get more of our time than we wanted them to,” Pepper whispers to MJ and the younger girl has a hard time repressing her smile as they sashay away, turning the last corner that leads back to Pepper’s office. Luckily, the only person here is Pepper’s secretary, who by now has come to know MJ well enough to not even look up and ask. MJ and Pepper look at each other and burst out into giggles. 

 

“That was great!” Pepper announces, pulling MJ into her side for a hug. MJ is still chuckling to herself and begins hopping around, giving herself a mini victory dance. Pepper joins her soon after, and Pepper’s poor secretary is stuck in the middle of a tiny dance party but is sadly sworn to secrecy with the amount of NDA’s she’s signed, so she keeps her head down and tries to ignore it. 

* * *

* * *

Peter’s day was just as successful, though not in the same way. After Tony introduced him to a few of the heads in the R&D department, he’s been called away to deal with something on another floor, leaving Peter alone. The heads hadn’t seemed to know what to say to the kid who was at least ten times their junior, so wandered off and left Peter very alone. Not really liking that they’d basically ignored him, Peter decided to use his obvious knowledge of Friday to gain access into a few labs the heads definitely didn’t know he had access to.

 

“Friday? Can we put on the ‘PJ Playlist’?” Peter asks and Friday turns on the music without a word, “you’re the best, Fri.”

 

“Don’t let Karen hear you say that Peter.” Friday says back, gaining a laugh from the young man. 

 

So Peter immerses himself in the project in the center of the room, which looks like a half-abandoned planning board for some kind of artificial organ replacement. Peter grins as soon as he reads through everything, and has Friday prop up a blank display for himself, right next to the previous owner’s work. Biochemistry was a strength for him. In fact, he was taking online classes alongside MJ at Brown on top of his usual classes at MIT. Tony had rolled his eyes when Peter chose multiple colleges, but really, Peter and MJ figured this way, not as many people would take notice of Peter’s achievements before they wanted them to. 

 

At the moment, there was a litany of Fall Out Boy songs playing and Peter couldn’t stop himself from bouncing around, dancing like no one was watching. So really, he should have known that wasn’t true, as two hours later, and a million songs, Peter heard a throat being cleared behind him. Whipping around, Peter accidentally threw a holographic piece of the design he was in the middle of, so Tony had a little chunk of nuts and bolts fly through his forehead while he stood there looking very amused surrounded by the heads Peter had ditched. 

 

“Having fun, kid?” Tony asks, and Friday turns off the music. Peter grins sheepishly and sheds the holo-gloves he’d been wearing to stop the other pieces from being attracted to his touch while he played with the intricate parts of the project. 

 

“Yeah, sorry, I got a bit carried away. There was no one in here, so thought I’d peek and see what was going on,”

 

“Kid, this project was deemed impossible yesterday, you’ve been working on scraps,” one of the heads, Peter thinks his name was Frank, scoffs at the idea that the new kid was too stupid to even realize what he was playing around with. Tony gave the guy a  _ look _ before looking over at Peter.

 

“What’cha up to, Pete?”

 

Peter looked from Tony to the guy and back to Tony, “Well, I noticed right away that most of the chem equations were done backwards, so I finished those and realized the prototype was going in the wrong direction too, so I had Friday let me start a new holo-proto, and I guess I got a bit carried away since the only thing left is the colour of the buttons. I was thinking of red and blue,” Peter grins at Tony who rolls his eyes, “all in favour?” 

 

The rest of the group was staring at him in shock, finally realizing their ‘failure project’ was in fact complete and prototyped in the three hours they had ditched him for. Tony chuckled as he stepped forward, clapping Peter on the shoulder.

 

“Let’s go see if the girls are up to having some lunch, kid.”

* * *

* * *

Rhodey didn’t find himself wandering Stark industries very often, especially when he was left to his own devices. Most times he was here, Tony would be the one wandering around finishing something before they could take off. He’d been here a couple of times to take Pepper out for lunch after the woman had been pulling 12 hour work days. Today, however, Rhodey was here for the new blood.

 

He knew his way around the R&D floors for sure and received a few nods from some of the interns who recognized him. He didn’t know exactly where the kid was, but he figured if he followed the sound of ABBA, he was bound to be close. Turning one last corner, Rhodey spotted the kid through the large glass wall that was his new lab, as of a week ago, where a large hologram of… something… was floating around behind the kid as he spun around from board to board. Most people seemed to be able to ignore the movement happening inside the lab, as they were pretty used to it, but Rhodey stood there gaping a bit as he watched Peter begin grooving to the sound of ‘Dancing Queen’. He was about to go inside when the kid hit a solid moonwalk to the next board, and Rhodey burst out laughing.

* * *

* * *

May felt like she was in the middle of a fever dream. Pepper had called in a frenzy, asking if she would mind terribly to come and get Morgan for her, as there was a bit of a crisis happening and it was all hands on deck. May was of course happy to always help with the baby and had arrived as soon as she could, which was unfortunately an hour after Pepper had called her. She knew her way up to the apartments, but not anywhere else, so had to rely on Friday.

 

“Friday? Where can I find Pepper?” May asked the room before any of the front desk people could ask her. They usually back off as soon as someone gets friendly with Friday.

 

“Mrs. Boss is in a meeting in the legal department. Please follow me,” the lights in the elevator flashed a pretty blue, so May sort of assumed that’s what the AI meant. The elevator didn’t go as high as she was used to when visiting the Stark’s and opened not to a cushy living area, but a white and gray floor with sleek steel sides and glass walls. Friday flashed a couple more lights and May decided it really would be best to follow along. As she walked, she couldn’t help looking around and finding it a bit odd that there was no one around. 

 

It wasn’t until Friday was leading her down a hall with giant rooms she had to assume were board rooms, did she realize why there wasn’t anyone around. Most of the staff it seemed were crammed into a room together and it looked chaotic. There were some men and women scattered around the table, laptops in front of them as they worked like robots. Each seated person had about five people surrounding them with varying other laptops, folders and phones. There were more people rushing back and forth in the room, scattering papers as they went, passing things to other people in the room or at the table. And at the head of this chaos, looking cool as a cucumber, was one Michelle Jones. Hair up in a bun, suit jacket over her pajama bottoms and slippers on her feet, MJ looked her normal bored self as she yelled at whoever was on the phone, and glared at whoever was on the computer. 

 

May couldn’t stop the laugh from coming out, as the whole scene was so very MJ it almost would seem wrong to not have the girl in the middle of chaos like that. Friday continued to lead May, but the woman had a feeling she knew exactly where Pepper was. The door at the end of the hall was a nice beige wooden door, very different compared to the rest of the building so far, and seemed much more Pepper’s aesthetic. 

 

Opening the door without knocking, May walked into Pepper Potts office to the sounds of Aerosmith playing through the speakers, and Pepper doing a weird waltzing bopping, box step with her daughter splayed out in her arms, blinking sluggishly while crying her little heart out. Pepper’s head whipped up, and May bit her lip at the absolutely wrecked look in her eyes.

 

“I’m here to help!” She says and comes in to take the baby out of Pepper’s arms.

* * *

* * *

Francesca was nervous this morning about her new position at Stark Industries, and the nerves, unfortunately, grew into dread the closer she got to the office of her new boss. Her new name tag and clearance level was bouncing against her hip as she walked, regretting the two-inch heels she’d bought for this first meeting, wishing she’d thought to introduce herself in a more comfortable way. Hopefully whoever her boss was, wasn’t going to expect the same outfit every day.

 

She stood just outside the door, fiddling with her watch before taking a deep breath and knocking tentatively.

 

“Come in, please!” A pleasant-sounding voice called from inside, so Francesca opened the door, looking down and then up. Her eyes grew a bit wider than she intended, but really, it was a bit different than she was expecting.

 

“Hey, you must be Francesca, right?” the attractive guy stuck his hand out as he walked forward, and Francesca just nodded, trying very hard not to stare over his shoulder, “I’m really glad you're starting today, though I have to warn you, I’m gonna be piling a lot on you right away.”

 

“Yes, ok, that’s alright…” she trailed off, shaking her head, “sorry, Mr. — “

 

“Oh right! Parker. Peter Parker,” Peter smiled, sticking his hands into his pockets.

 

“Ok, Mr. Parker, I’m sorry, but I have to ask…” Peter cocks his head to the side and looks behind him, where three clear whiteboards, a hologram table, and a rolling tool chest are spread haphazardly around. Though not a weird sight, especially knowing she was hired to keep a schedule for some kind of genius scientist, the strands of  _ spider webs _ hanging these items from the ceiling was a bit weird.

 

“Uh… yeah, again, sorry. I’m kinda the guy that makes and tests a lot of the Avengers stuff… so, you know, Spider-Man,” he trails off awkwardly, kind of waving his hand back in a ‘tah-dah!’ move. 

 

Francesca’s eyes are huge by this point, but she closed her mouth and smiles at Peter, “Will my desk be hanging from the ceiling as well?”

 

Peter snorts, “We’ll see,” Yeah, she’d probably be ok not wearing heels again after today.

* * *

It was a week and a half later that Francesca found herself having to go into Peter’s office again for the third day in a row to bug him into going to the meeting he was definitely late for now. She didn’t knock past one rap of her knuckles, knowing he probably didn’t hear it anyways with the loud ass music playing in there.

 

“Mr. Parker, I really have to insist that you go to that meeting now!” Francesca yelled into the room, trying to be heard over the Taylor Swift blaring in the room. 

 

Peter’s whipped his head around, “What meeting?” he is dancing around, bopping and mouthing the lyrics like she isn’t even there, even going so far as to hold a marker in his hand like a microphone. 

 

Francesca took a breath, counted to five, and repeated, “The one up in legal that started five minutes ago, that you promised you would be at ten minutes ago,”

 

Peter looked at the clock on the wall, “Who was the meeting with again? I could call up and just let them know I’m in the middle of something, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind—”

 

“Schedule says,” Francesca looked down at her agenda for Peter, “Jones and Potts… that better not be  _ the _ Pepper Potts you’re late for, Mr. Parker,”

 

Peter’s eyes were wide when he looked at her again, almost pure fear in his eyes, “Did you say Jones?”

 

Francesca nods, and barely catches the whiteboard marker he all but tosses at her as he sprints out of the room. Francesca can only stand there before kindly asking Karen to turn off the music until Mr. Parker can return from his meeting.


	27. MJ fucks with fashion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's shorter, but I've officially finished writing everything for this story! I'm thinking I will upload them all during this week.
> 
> As I upload this chapter, I'm at 995 kudos for this story, and I couldn't be happier. You guys have been amazing during this whole story and made me want to finish it. 
> 
> I will for sure be continuing this into a series, so look out for that, though not that I've finished this one, no promises on what or when things return :)

A month and a half after MJ and Peter officially started at Stark Industries, the couple agreed it was ok to not see each other as often as they had been, just until they were more settled at work and ready to take on the new workload. MJ was officially ‘settled’ and was eagerly (though not outwardly) anticipating going up to visit her boyfriend over his lunch. Pepper was taking MJ’s assistance like a champ, even relaxing so much with her own workload that Tony had pressed the back of his hand to her head to check if she was fevered.

 

MJ hadn’t even dressed to impress today, well aware she was going to enjoy a mid-day meal with Peter, and feeling pretty happy about it from the moment they woke up that morning. She’d paired her regular jean jacket with an out of character flowy curtain skirt and her black combat boots. Pepper hadn’t said anything, so MJ figured she was in the all clear to do what she wanted. She’s proven herself worthy of comfort.

 

The elevator doors opened to the R&D floor Peter’s new office was on. She had yet to visit it, as he’d only moved in a week or so ago, but she’d heard from Tony that he was already harassing the poor assistant he’d gotten him, so that was fun. Speaking of, MJ noticed the desk stationed in the small room in front of Peter’s door was being manned by a girl probably her age or older, with her head down and a confused frown on her face. 

 

MJ, in her happy mood, was feeling social enough that she stepped up to the desk and leaned her elbow on it, “Hey,”

 

The other girl’s head popped up and she straightened up, “Sorry, hi, can I help you?” 

 

MJ shrugs, “Sure, you wanna buzz Parker out here, or can I barge in there to scare the pants off of him?”

 

The other girl looks confused and maybe a bit protective, “Er, Mr. Parker might be busy, so I can buzz him?”

 

MJ shrugs again, “Sure,” the girl sort of tentatively reaches over and presses the button MJ is pretty sure must link to Karen.

 

“Mr. Parker, there’s someone out here for you…”

 

“Is it MJ?” Peter’s voice pops through, and the girl looks up but MJ just smiles again.

 

“Uh, pretty girl your age, jean jacket, curly hair?” the girl answers back with a grin at MJ, who guffaws and winks.

 

“Thank you,”

 

“M, I’ll be out in a minute, please don’t run away with Fran and leave me,” Peter’s voice answers them both back. Like he said though, he is out in a minute and gives MJ a big smile before leaning in to give her a kiss.

 

“Hey, ready to go?”

 

MJ rolls her eyes but takes his hand in hers, “I’ve been ready, loser. Let’s go,” she waves to the girl, Fran, and promises to bring her a coffee next time. 

 

She also grins when she visits Fran the next day to see the girl wearing a jean jacket over her dress.

 

— 

Peter and MJ had taken to going ‘Captain America’ when going outside. Their incognito regularly consisted of a hat and sunglasses as their coverage in magazines and online grew more and more. Today wasn’t that much different, aside from the fact that MJ couldn’t find her regular baseball cap so had switched it out for a headscarf instead. They weren’t out for very long before MJ had a few girls coming up asking for pictures with them. Peter couldn’t help but give her a kiss on the cheek when they finally shook off a bunch of followers, and MJ smiled back at him.

 

Pictures of MJ’s new look was trending on Tumblr within an hour.

—

 

Morgan was nearing her first birthday, and Tony was insisting the little girl get to pick out the decorations for the birthday party. MJ had to be the one to take her, since the Stark’s were sucked into a last minute crisis, and Peter was stuck on the R&D floor during a floor-wide lockdown (Peter didn’t want to admit it… but he was definitely the problem). 

 

So MJ found herself wearing a large brimmed hat she’d found on the legal floor that most likely belonged to one of the lawyers there. She’d swiped a pair of Tony’s glasses from his pocket, and she’s pretty sure he didn’t even notice. And, luckily, she had one of Peter’s windbreakers on her desk so she tied it around her waist, even more glad she’d decided to wear jeans today. Morgan was not as easy to hide, but MJ still had her headscarf from the couple days before in her desk, so she gave Morgan a cute little top knot and Pepper even had a pair of Morgan sized glasses that MJ absolutely did not squeal over when Morgan had them on.

 

The next pictures of MJ and Morgan posted online had Pepper pointing out how cute MJ’s outfit was, and the next time she went out casual shopping, she came home with some similar high waisted jeans that Tony couldn’t stop staring at. But it gave MJ ideas.

 

— 

The next time she and Peter were invited to an event was a mere two weeks later, and she was instructed that the dress code was ‘jewel colours’. Now normally, she would absolutely just wear a nice dress, maybe in a fun colour. But her hypothesis was in the works, and she needed tonight to be her first experiment. So, she stepped out of the car wearing a white t-shirt she stole from Tony’s closet (again, the guy had no idea), tucked into a pair of corseted high waisted shorts completely covered in different shapes, sizes and types of brooches, jewels, and diamonds. And yes, she was terrified to sit down and either poke her own ass or loose a shiny jewel, but the amount of photo coverage she received made her smirk. And besides, Peter’s gobsmacked face when he saw her was one for the books. 

 

And she was on the right track, because Dolce & Gabbana announced a pair of eerily similar shorts on their runway. 

 

—

MJ’s favourite moment may have been when she ducked out with Tony for a very short trip to an ice cream parlour with Morgan in tow, both needing to escape the chaos that was Pepper and May wrapping presents for Morgan. MJ made sure to wear a bright blue turtleneck with shorts, and a pink sheer dress overtop, studded with little sewn on flowers. Tony had looked her up and down, wrinkled his nose, and only received  “It’s an experiment,” before he shrugged and held the door open for her. 

—

 

It was a month of this seemingly random wardrobe changes and MJ was practically on top of the fashion world. May was finally the one to sit with the girl and ask her straight, why she was wearing things like this.

 

MJ looked May in the eye as she crossed her legs sheathed in knee high rainbow polka dot boots, and said, “I’ve been planning a way to take over the world since I was four, May. I was handed a once in a lifetime chance to fuck over the world of fashion and I took it.”

 

After May finished laughing she had to ask a follow up, “So, why do you still wear things like this then?”

 

MJ actually blushed, “I sort of fucked myself over too...I like them,”


	28. Flash goes on a fieldtrip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Really a chapter to introduce MJ and Peter into their new roles in Stark Industries, but it's fun and fluffy and my crush on both MJ and Peter is revealed further

After highschool, it didn’t take Flash very long to come to the realization that his cronies weren’t going to be following him into real-life. The first two months after graduation was almost the exact same; all his friends still hung around, they partied, they drank, Flash had his first kiss, and they still hung off his every word. 

 

But then September came along, and every single person he’d hung out with over the summer disappeared. Some moved to their college campus, and a few moved states. One guy announced he was getting married in the new year, and was moving with his fiancee to Canada. That one really hit Flash, as he found himself alone and suddenly not in high school anymore. 

 

He was still living with his parents, but decided one August day to move out to a tiny apartment nearby downtown where he was hoping to get a job. His parents didn't care either way if he moved or stayed, and barely realized when he did leave. He tried to ignore it like he did with everything else and moved on. He managed to find a desk job at a law firm where he basically just filed and fetched coffee, but it paid minimum wage, and he didn’t have much else to fall back on. 

 

It wasn’t even a week later that the guy he was assisting (a total douche, but Flash barely noticed) told him he was needed on a meeting the next day at Stark Industries. Flash stopped listening after that, but somewhere in the heartbeat thudding through his ears he heard the guy telling him it was something to do with new leadership in the department they occasionally worked with, and wanted to make a good impression on the new head. 

Flash felt this was the best opportunity he could have to possibly get in at Stark Industries. He’d tried to get some kind of temp job, anything, before he’d landed this law firm, but there had been a resounding ‘no’ from each department he’d applied to. It had made him pretty angry, especially with the sudden non-stop talk on Insta and snap stories about Penis Parker and Michelle. He’d rolled his eyes the first time someone snapped him a pic of Penis and Michelle walking hand-in-hand to a black car, the pic blurred and obviously taken across the street, with little hearts all around it from the girl who was basically squealing over the couple. Flash could care less, so he’d blocked any mention of the two from his social medias, not caring to relive highschool by stalking the two’s every move. He could move on.

 

The day arrived, and Flash was ready and chipper waiting at the firm for the rest of the group meant to arrive in another ten minutes. He handed out coffee as they came in, even receiving a smile from the cute secretary who was joining to take notes for one of the older gents in the company. They left in a couple cabs, making Flash breathe a sigh of relief as he had been worried about having to pay fare on his own, and they arrived with half an hour to spare something that made his boss extremely happy. They entered the building together, and Flash couldn’t stop himself from looking around in a bit of awe. 

 

This was the building that Flash had been dreaming about since sixth grade; he was never strong with engineering or even science in general, but he had begged his parents to get him into Midtown Tech, just on the basis it could be a major stepping stone to getting a job at Stark Industries. Unfortunately, this still didn’t seem to work and Flash now found himself just visiting, but he was still so excited he forgot about his anger for a moment. Their group was ushered to a security line for guests and given temporary passes that would basically allow him to reach the board room and go to the bathroom, but he was still ecstatic.   

 

His excitement waned in the hour it took for the remaining guests to arrive and the meeting to come to a beginning. He remained as straight backed as possible, trying desperately not to look too bored or like he was ignoring the inane conversation the cute secretary was trying to carry with him. Finally, the doors opened to a stereotypical looking security guard holding the door open for —

 

Fuck.

 

“Sorry for the slight delay everyone, we were dealing with a situation in Research and Development,” Michelle Jones announced herself to the room as she walked past the guard, with another coming in behind her. They stood back by the doors as MIchelle walked to the head of the table, her heels clicking in the silent room as everyone’s eyes followed her to her seat. 

 

Flash had never seen this Michelle before— if he had, he definitely would have paid more attention to her. This Michelle was in a deep yellow jumpsuit that swirled and flared around her legs as she walked, settling onto her (fucking long!) long legs as she crossed them beneath her, and a scooping neckline that showed off more skin than he even knew she had. The girl sitting on her immediate right handed her a laptop and some folders that Michelle placed in front of her while giving everyone a pleasant smile that Flash could tell set a few of the gentlemen at ease. 

 

This Michelle was  _ hot _ , and Flash had no idea how that happened without him noticing.

 

“If everyone could direct their attention to the screens, our prior and current agreement will be displayed to show…” Flash zoned the speaker out, unable to help staring at Michelle Jones, as the girl watched the presentation, texted on her phone, continually signed something and anything her assistant handed to her, and typed away at the laptop between speakers. Flash couldn’t understand how this was the weird girl he’d been in highschool with only earlier this year, and was in such a position higher than he could even be dreaming of right now. 

 

“Now that’s all out of the way,” Michelle began once the last speaker sat down, “I’ll introduce myself formally: My name is Michelle Jones. I work directly under Ms. Potts-Stark and generally have been taking on most of her workload as she settles with her new family. This department has been run by me for the past month already, and as you can see, has been working smoothly and as expected. From this presentation, you can also see there has not been a dip or nudge in the wrong direction under my watch. So,” Suddenly, Flash was having flashbacks of Acadec meetings when Michelle’s pleasant smile fell and she seemed to have made a glaring eye contact with everyone in the room, “if I hear a single word about my age or gender being a reason for any of your firms to disagree or overthrow my decisions, you will find yourselves without a job and your previous firm without business with Stark Industries.” 

 

The room was silent, and men Flash had seen boasting about their Saturday nights just this morning shrink under the glare of a nineteen year old woman. No one objected, so Michelle leans back with an easy grin again.

 

“Wonderful. Stacey, would you be so kind as you alert the other floors for our tour? I believe we are ready for our walk.”

 

—

 

The ‘walk’ turned out to be much more interesting than a boardroom meeting. Especially when Michelle Jones was walking in front of him. She’s made direct eye contact with him as they filed out of the room, but gave no indication of feeling the need to address him as an old school mate, and simply began walking, expecting everyone to follow her and her assistant (which they did, without comment). 

 

“This is our legalities floor, where your firms will meet most times to conduct business with us face to face if it becomes necessary. I do appreciate you all coming this time around for our first meeting, but I think we can all agree that face to face conversations can work just as well over conference calls, especially in this day and age.” Flash was pretty sure this was aimed to the old fart in his own firm, who didn’t even like picking up a cordless phone. 

 

The next floor they went to was even more interesting, especially when it was revealed to be one of the ten R&D floors in the Tower, “This is our R&D lab that has just switched its command as well, and will be dealing with most of the deals your firm will be handed, Mr. Finch,” Michelle was saying to Flash’s boss who nodded and looked around more intently, like he knew what was going on.

 

“My partner is unfortunately in a meeting at the moment with some of his head Lab Directors, so is unable to meet with you, but we can set up a new appointment at any time if you would like to meet with him.”

 

Mr. Finch’s second hand asked Michelle, “And his name, Miss Jones?” already ready to make a note of the name for Finch.

 

Michelle smiles politely, “Peter Parker. He’ll eventually be the head of most of the lab floors in the coming years, so if any other firms attached to our lab dealings would like to meet with him, I will have Stacey contact his assistant to review his schedule.”

 

Everyone nodded, taking this idea down and all the secretaries and assistant wrote down this information. Except for Flash, who was nudged rather harshly by his own boss who worked beneath Finch, making Flash take out his phone and jot down the appointment mechanically.

 

Fucking Penis Parker. Parker worked at Stark Industries. Parker practically _ran_ a part of Stark Industries. _Penis Parker_ _was_ _Michelle Jones’_ _partner_. Could this day get any worse?

 

“No need, MJ, the prodigal son has arrived!” 

 

The voice was very well known, and Flash saw every single big fig in the firms around him puff up with importance to be in the presence of Tony Stark. Iron Man. Head of one of the biggest companies in the world. A fucking  _ hero _ .

 

And Penis Parker, being led over with Tony Stark’s hand clapped on his shoulder like a proud parent. 

 

Michelle rolled her eyes as she turned to face to two men, “You’re both meant to be in that meeting for another hour, Stark.”

 

Tony’s hands went up in a placating gesture, “We ended early!” he kicked the back of one of Peter’s legs gently, making the younger man stumble and glare, “Pete, protect me!”

 

“You're insane,” Peter rolls his eyes but still smiles at MJ with a megawatt grin, “we really did finish, I promise I kept him there for the whole thing. We just overheard you and figured I’d make it easier on everyone and show my face.”

 

With that Peter introduced himself to the firm heads and every underling, and basically cemented himself as a person everyone enjoyed and respected. And Flash couldn’t understand what was happening. When Peter got to Flash, his eyes widened and he even looked… happy?

 

“Hey man, how’s it going? I didn’t know you were going to be working with us?” Peter’s eyes flickered to MJ who merely rose one brow in answer. Tony was shaking his head at them.

 

“Er, uh, yeah. Good to see you, Parker.” Flash accepted the handshake, and tried  _ very _ hard not to wince at the strong grip offered to him. Dammit, this situation wasn’t getting any better.

 

“Yeah good to see you too. Sorry I can’t stick around, maybe I’ll catch you later?” Peter asked, but Flash could tell he didn’t really want to. It was probably ingrained in him already not to disagree with people working for him, and Flash could barely hate the guy for it. He was almost glowing in his position, and the whole situation sited the guy. And it made Flash miserable. 

Instead he made a sort of nodding motion and Peter released his hand. Tony waved his hand to the younger man, “Well, we won’t keep you Scary Spice. Finish this up, and we’ll order your choice for dinner.” Peter gave MJ a swift kiss on the cheek before hopping into the elevator Tony was holding open for him.

 

Michelle gave him a quirking, quick grin, “Deal. But I’m choosing sushi,”

 

Tony groans while Peter laughs, “Dibs out on dealing with Morgan,”

“Yeah, not it.” Michelle says and Tony only groans louder as the doors close. Michelle chuckles as she turns away and continues the tour like nothing had happened, and Flash’s world wasn’t just rocked. 

 

When Flash got home that day he deleted the blocks on any hashtags including Peter or Michelle, realizing they were so far past highschool, that he needed to get his head out of there as well. 


	29. Proud Irondad (Morgan's 1st birthday)

Morgan’s birthday seemed to arrive way too soon for Tony’s comfort, but to everyone else it came just in time. The entire month prior to the little girl’s big day was filled with the family’s constant headache that was Tony over preparing for a party for a one-year-old. There was the cake (which May offered to make and was answered with a resounding no), the decorations (which MJ picked out with Morgan, and came home with a god-awful mixture of nickelodeon and Disney and purple), the venue (“Tony seriously, just have it on a floor of the Tower!”), Morgan’s outfit (Peter picked that one out, though Tony has the sneaking suspicion MJ definitely had the last say on that one), and finally... the presents. 

Now, Tony would never deny it, but he certainly doesn’t  _ spoil _ his children. He anticipates what they could ever possibly want, and throws it at them at alarming rates. So did he buy Morgan every single toy she pointed at in the online store? Possibly. Did he also include all her favourite baked goods and juice pops in the buffet for her birthday supper? Possibly. Did Pepper make him stop when he announced he was getting her a puppy. Possibly, yes, yes she did.

 

And then, did he feel guilty about buying Morgan all these things and ignoring Peter? Possibly.

 

Hence why Peter walked into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and screaming loud enough to wake up the rest of the house. MJ hadn’t been far behind him as she’d stopped in the washroom first, but came running out with her toothbrush hanging from her mouth. At the same time, Pepper and Tony came barreling down the stairs from their own wing, Pepper with her robe hanging onto one arm, and Tony wrestling to get a t-shirt over his shoulders where a tiny piece of his mechanical arm always got stuck.

 

“Peter?!” May came bursting out of her room from the same wing as MJ and Peter’s room, with Rhodey not far behind her from his own room.

 

“Parker, wha’ da ‘ell?” MJ admonishes around her toothbrush, dashing to the kitchen sink to spit now that the coast seems clear.

 

Peter is standing in the kitchen, staring moony-eyed at the small box on the floor with a comically large sign saying it was meant for Peter, where a tiny little puppy was staring at him with big brown eyes. 

 

“ _ Tony— you—  _ PUPPY!?” Peter is gasping, and May and Pepper take one look at it then both turn to Tony looking rather stony faced as they say in unison with MJ, who turns from the sink.

 

“ **_No_ ** !”

 

The rest of the morning is spent rather somberly as Peter pouts over the joy and loss of the puppy he really had no time for, before Morgan even wakes up. Once the puppy has disappeared and Morgan wakes up, the festivities begin right away. Tony had decided to hold the party on the floor just below their own that was mostly social space he’d made to originally act as a bumper between he and the rest of the Avengers. Now though, he greeted his teammates onto the floor enthusiastically, holding the birthday girl in his arms as aunts and uncles came in giving her hugs and kisses and adding to her pile of presents. 

 

May and Rhodey have taken over the picture taking, with May constantly shoving her phone at or from Happy whenever she takes a picture of Morgan but then immediately wants to hold her. Pepper starts belly laughing the first time she sees May do this, shocking Mr. Steve Rogers enough that he sort of stares at Pepper until Tony passes him by, whispering, “I knew you were scared of her.”

 

Natasha was nearly head to head with May when it came to stealing Morgan away. The spy had swooped in when Morgan was being passed, literally, back and forth between Clint and Thor and caught the giggling girl in her arms. She glared at the men as they tried to get the little one back, wrenching Clint’s arm behind his back until he tapped out. She marched over to the table with the little fruit and veggie trays (sans strawberries) and sat Morgan down, cooing when the girl picked a handful of things for herself. 

 

MJ received some Morgan love throughout the day as well, as the little girl went upstairs to put on her birthday dress and demanded MJ help her with it. MJ and Peter had been the ones to go out shopping with her, and MJ hadn’t figured out just why Morgan had picked what she did, but she’d allowed it anyway. Once they were upstairs in the little girl’s closet, Morgan stood very still as MJ shimmied the very poofy and sparkly red dress over her head. Morgan giggled the whole time until it was on, then took MJ’s hand and dragged the older girl to her own room. Morgan then stepped into her and Peter’s ‘fancy’ closet, and came out dragging a sparkly red dress that MJ had worn not a month earlier at an event. MJ smiled so largely, she thought her face might have cracked and that’s why tears were streaming down her face. So, she diligently put on the matching sparkly dress, no matter how overdressed she was going to be. It was worth it when she picked up Morgan and the little girl whispered, “Pretty,” almost reverently. 

 

They returned to the party to applause that Morgan ate up, twirling and leaping from person to person. Peter had a sappy look on his face that MJ leaned in to get rid of with a sweet kiss, but was unable to get away from when his arm wrapped around her. 

 

“I love you,” he whispers into her ear, and she decides it’s not so bad being stuck there. That is, until Peter is forced to let her go because Morgan wants to have a fashion show, and obviously MJ has to be a part of it. So MJ finds herself strutting around for the amusement of a toddler, not even bothering to be embarrassed in front of the Earth’s mightiest heroes. 

 

During the fashion show, when Morgan inevitably pulls in Pepper, Auntie May, Auntie Nat, and for some weird reason, Uncle Bucky, Tony finds himself sitting and staring at his family. His wife, who looks the happiest he may have ever seen her, walking around at their daughter’s command with a smile that she keeps throwing at him. His sister, in all but blood, practically melting as his baby calls her Auntie Nat for the fifth time that day. His brother, standing not far from him with his phone up and recording, citing he needed to send it to his mother lest she threaten him with strangulation. The woman who raised his son, who has fit herself into his family seamlessly. And his son, his kid, sitting at the kitchen counter watching his girl’s twirl and laugh just as closely as Tony has been. And the girl he’s thought of as another daughter for months now, twirl in her matching dress to the birthday girl, performing just for the sole reason to have that toddler laugh and clap, as she spins past Peter only to be caught by him and tucked into his side. 

 

Tony feels his chest get tight, and realizes how proud he is of everyone in this room and how much he loves every single person he’s made into a family.

 

And later, when supper time comes around and everyone is sitting down, Tony takes out his own phone to take pictures he’s pretty sure no one notices. Ones of his wife, smiling at May and Nat. A few of the guys on the team (and for sure one of Bruce a little shitfaced). A couple of Rhodey and Happy lounging on the balcony with a beer. And more than a few of MJ and Peter, cuddling together or sneaking quick kisses whenever she is able to sit still long enough without Morgan interrupting. Ones of them smiling, sitting, and one he stands up to take when Morgan burrows her way in between them and almost disappears into MJ’s matching dress. The couple scoops her up and squeezes her between them, both giving their little sister a kiss on the cheek that has Tony snapping a picture and May and Pepper soundtracking an ‘Aww’ behind him.

 

Even later, once everyone has been put to bed, including those drunk enough to need a bedtime, Tony plops down in the seat next to Peter that MJ had finally vacated. She was officially off ‘Princess Duty’ as Morgan had gone to bed and had to take off her dress, MJ was allowed to take hers off too. She’d left quickly, giving Peter one quick kiss before dashing off to get dressed into ‘some comfy sweats and no bra, people!”

“It was a good day, right?” Tony asked lowly to Peter, who of course picks it up with his sensitive hearing and looks at Tony like he’s insane.

 

“Uh yeah? Duh, you’re daughter could barely keep her eyes open a minute ago because she was too happy to sleep like a human. You did good, Tony.”

He absolutely does  _ not _ have tears gathering in his eyes, “Thanks Pete,” he clears his throat, looking up when he notices Peter’s eyes caught on the newly returned MJ who stops to chat with Nat and May. “By the way, I’m really proud of you,”

 

Peter shakes his head a bit, “Proud? About what?”

 

Tony just watches his kid, unable to stop smiling gently at the big brown eyes and curly hair, “Just about everything you are and are growing up to be. I don’t think May or I could have done anything more to have you turn into such a good person, Peter.” the kid flushes, but leans into Tony’s side, “and I’m proud of you and MJ.”

 

“Yeah?” Peter whispers a bit, which has Tony gathering him into his side more.

 

“Yeah. I can honestly say you two are perfect for each other, and I couldn’t imagine anyone else taking you away from me, kiddo.”

 

“I’m pretty sure MJ would arm wrestle you for me if you wanted,” Peter says into his shirt, and Tony stiffles his laugh, trying to keep their conversation still between them.

 

“Me too, kid,” he pauses now, not sure how ready he may be for this conversation, let alone Peter, “and kid? After today, I’m very excited for more birthday parties. From you, MJ, Morgan, and eventually some grandkids from you too.”

 

Peter, of course, goes bright red, but nods into Tony’s shoulder, “Yeah, I’m excited for that too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS. There's only one more chapter after this, I'm gonna cry


	30. It's Not Much...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter...

After Morgan’s first birthday, May pulled him to the side to let him know that she and Happy were thinking about moving in together. She didn’t want to seem like she was trying to get rid of him, but he ‘spent a lot of time at the Tower’ nowadays, and she had asked Tony about it, and the Stark’s were more than happy to have him live with them, especially with the heavier schedule Peter had picked up at Stark Industries, and —

 

“May! Hey, it’s ok, I totally understand,” Peter grabbed his aunt by the shoulders, giving her a smirk, “I get it, who wants their nineteen year old nephew hanging around the apartment with your new boyfriend.”

 

“Peter! You brat, that’s not it at all,”

 

Peter was chuckling before she even finished, “I know May, I larb you too. Besides, living at the Tower will be better for Happy...seeing as he’d be my driver, which would only be an even bigger coc—”

 

“Finish that sentence, and you’ll never know what else Tony and I were discussing about you,”

 

“Hm, evil, but intriguing. Go on,”

 

“We were thinking, and you wouldn’t have to do this, but Tony thought maybe you would want your own floor in the Tower?” May asked slowly, this time being the one to hold onto Peter’s shoulders to look him in the eye. Peter did seem a little shocked, but a smile was pulling the corners of his mouth.

 

“So, it would kind of be like I’d have my own apartment?”

 

May snorts, “Yeah, aside from the fact that it’s a multimillion dollar building, and you’d never have a fridge with only condiments in it, but yes, I suppose it would be.” 

 

Which led to Peter agreeing with Tony and being shown his ‘apartment’ later that very day when they were both meant to be in a meeting. What Friday wouldn’t tell MJ and Pepper wouldn’t hurt them. Hopefully. 

 

“Here we are kiddo! How’s this one?” Tony enters the floor, one Peter had never even been to with wide eyes. It was a bit unlike the Stark’s own floor, but also not exactly similar to the Avenger’s floor plans either. It was different, but familiar. Peter liked it.

 

“It’s really nice. Are you sure I’m allowed to live here? I really could find somewhere else…”

 

“Uh, yeah, I don’t think so. You’d basically be sleeping here anyway with the amount of work you and MJ are contributing now.” Tony scoffs and continues to show Peter around the floor, bringing him into the kitchen with an island in the middle and enough room that Peter can see himself dancing around it with MJ— ah shit.

 

“Oh my God,” Peter mumbles and Tony looks over his shoulder at him in worry, “I have to ask MJ to move in with me.”

Tony guffaws a bit, but tries to stop when he sees Peter almost glare at him, “Sorry, but yeah bud, asking your girlfriend who already basically lives with you to move in seems a bit redundant.”

 

“Ok, but this isn’t moving into the same apartment as May or sleeping over on your floor, Tony. This would be  _ our _ space, so like, I still need to ask, right?”

 

Tony concedes to this which means Peter is now standing outside of MJ’s office doors, waiting for her secretary to look up from her phone and let him in. She had barely looked up when he walked over, so he figures she didn’t recognize him, since she’d just last week been hitting on him. He waited five more seconds before just going in without permission, figuring he was allowed, he worked here too.

 

Peter closed the door on the squawk of the phone-girl, making MJ’s head pop up from whatever she had in front of her on her desk. The smile she gave him made his knees feel a little weak, so he passed of collapsing into a chair in front of her as being exhausted rather than nervous. But this was MJ, and she knew him too well.

 

“What’s up, loser?” MJ asks, putting her pen down so she can lean casually across the desk without making a mark on anything. This was the MJ Peter liked seeing, and she normally only came out when she was with him, or alone with their family. Business MJ was sort of scary. It made sense why Tony was occasionally scared of Pepper. 

 

“Well,” he hedges a bit, but one look at MJ and he figures it’s not worth it to lie, “Tony was just showing me a floor in the Tower.”

 

“Which one babe, there’s about seventy.”

 

“Um, well one a couple floors under the Stark’s,” MJ looks at him in thought, obviously mentally thinking what would be on that floor.

 

“I don’t think I know which one you mean. I thought those were Avenger apartments?”

 

“Uh, yeah, mostly. And now, one floor is a Parker apartment.” Peter says a little too quickly, since MJ gave him a strange look.

 

“What?”

 

Peter sighs and sits up, “Ok, Michelle, I know we sort of already have been living together for the last year, but Tony’s offered me a floor in the Tower as my own apartment. I went to look at it and was thinking about how amazing it was, and the kitchen was so open and I was thinking it was perfect to dance with you in, but then I realized I hadn’t even asked you if you’d want to move in with me. But then I realized we’d never actually  _ lived _ together, you were sort of visiting? Cause sometimes you'll go have a sleepover with Lainey, but then I thought, we’re happy, right? And being together all the time seems like a good idea, and I really love you, and —”

 

“Peter Benjamin Parker, take a fucking breath!” 

 

It shocks him enough to startle a gasping breath into him that has him feeling a little lightheaded. Oh, wait, that might be because MJ is suddenly sitting in his lap. 

 

“Uh huh?” he asks a bit dumbly, but MJ just smiles at him in that way that has his toes curling and his chin to tip up, expecting a kiss which he receives. 

 

MJ pulls back after one more peck, her own toes curling beneath her as she watches Peter’s eyes flutter back open and feels her stomach tighten in anticipation, “I’d love to move in together.”

 

“Really?” He asks again and receives an eye roll, but he could tell it was done with feeling when she leans in to give him just another deep kiss, letting him decide what that meant. He took it as a yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of I Think You Mean Jones-Parker... fun fact though, I wrote about 35 prompts for this story but only ended up with 30 chapters. Which means,,, I'd better make another story for this series :) 
> 
> I think i may wait for after Christmas time to be posting, but I hope you have all enjoyed this story enough to follow me into the direct continuation in 'She Added, With Feeling, 'Idiot.''
> 
> I have replied to a few lovely commenters that I have already planned the 20 chapters of this story, and not to spoil you, but there will be another story on top of that one to follow a Morgan H. Stark line as well. 
> 
> I've loved all the love, and I love writing all the lovey feelings. 
> 
> Thank you thank you thank you


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